A New Perspective
by DoggoWoof
Summary: Wolf O'Donnell is widely notorious for being ferocious and cunning, never showing any sign of kindness. He has built a concrete wall, keeping out others, and keeping in his own emotions. But what happens when this concrete wall is broken down? How much do they actually know about the ruthless criminal known as Wolf O'Donnell? Fox x Wolf
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Authors note:**

So, this is my first ever fan fiction. I've read many other fictions, but never actually decided to make an account and write one myself until now. This probably won't be that good thinking about it, but I've already decided to do it. This story will start from the perspective of Fox, but will eventually transition into Wolf's perspective too. This is post Aparoid Invasion, I never really liked the alternate endings in Star fox Command, but I may still use terminology from the game. Anyway, onto the story.  
Changes made: (Minor changes to punctuation)  
(Paragraphing of speech)

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue

Lasers flew back and forth between the two teams. Both teams equal in skill, but not in equipment. A shot flew dangerously close to one of the pilots in blue, a vulpine to be precise, who narrowly dodged it. However, the fox was unknowingly putting his other team mates in danger. The shot flew true, straight through the centre of the Arwing. It was already in critical shape, but now it could no longer function.

The fox could hear his heart beating rapidly, a constant thrum in his ears. As he saw the blue and white ship fall into the planet below, keeping the pilot captive, his heart wrenched. Falco Lombardi, the ace pilot of team Star Fox, plummeted through the atmosphere and into the icy wastelands of Fichina.

"Get out of there Fox! We're outnumbered!" A squeaky voice sounded in his ears. Slippy.

"But what about Falco? We have to help him!" Fox argued against him. He couldn't believe he was thinking of leaving Falco behind. ' _After all we have been through, did it mean nothing to him?_ ' He wondered.

"Fox, you'll just be putting your own life in danger, please! We need to go now or else we'll lose even more." Stated Krystal. She also wanted to leave Falco behind? He would have thought she would have been the last to argue against saving him.

"Finally, that pain in the scales has finally been taken down a peg. I'm surprised you didn't get rid of him and his obnoxious ego of his sooner." Cackled Leon. Seeing that homicidal lizard surged anger within Fox. There was no way this psychopath was getting away with this!

"Leon! I knew only a psycopath like you could be the cause of this!" Fox shouted through my comm device. His cackling only amplified in volume, and all he could see was red. Rage fueled him at this moment, coursing through his veins.

"Fox, don't let him get to you. We have to go now before it's too late." Krystal said. He can feel her probing his mind, no doubt she can feel the rage within his mind too, but she was still calm. ' _How can she still be calm at a time like this?_ ' Fox thought

Fox however, ignored the caution given by Krystal and went on the offensive. He didn't know why he was doing this, but he never questioned it. He always followed his instincts, and so far he was not proven wrong as to do so. Fox was being followed by three of the four members of Star Wolf, so he saw his opportunity. He quickly shot down towards the planets atmosphere. As the other ships followed, he did a half roll back upwards and shot at the bottom of the ship not following him. The shot pierced the hull of the ship and it started to malfunction.

"Fox, we have to get out of here. If we take one more shot, we're done for! Sorry about this." Fox looked at his radar and noticed the two green dots previously behind him leave. ' _They just... Left me? How could they do this!_ ' Fox was outraged from this act of cowardice. His team left him alone to fight as they fled cowardly. And now, he was under the mercy of team Star Wolf.

Fox continued to fight valiantly, even taking out one other ship from Star Wolf, but unfortunately he was outnumbered greatly. He couldn't keep dodging the shots they were firing at him. Suddenly, his ship jolted and he lost control of his ship. It flew in erratic patterns, slowly getting closer to the planet. Another shot struck his ship, and the gentle hum of the ships engine stopped. Fox slammed his fists into the ship angrily. The ship started to slowly fall into the planets atmosphere, just as Falco's ship had done, and accelerated rapidly. The ship rocketed to Fichina.

"Hah! I knew that we could take you down. The so called ' _legendary_ team Star Fox' is nothing more than a novice team. You never stood a chance against the great Leon!" Leon cackled once more.

"Leon, there's no point in us being here any longer, the rest of the team fled. I guess I'm just going to have my chance with Krystal some other time" A deep purr sounded through my speakers. Panther, no doubt. If that creep tried as hard at flying as he did at trying to get into Krystal's bed, he would be the best pilot in Lylat. He saw the three current red dots on his radar fly away. The last image he saw of them was the malfunctioning ship lagging behind. The pilot never revealed his identity, but it undoubtedly had to be Wolf. That monstrosity of a leader was the only possible pilot.

" **30 seconds until impact** " A mechanical voice sounded through his headset. He could see the great white planet come towards him. He tried all he could to try pull up, but it was to no avail. Fox believed that resistance to this was futile, so he gave up. All he could see was white, until he suddenly blacked out.

* * *

 _Pain_.

Everything hurt. The vulpines body was in pain. He could barely feel his limbs. He tried to move in his ship.

More pain.

But pain was good, in a way. Pain meant he was living, he had survived the ordeal. He could head distant voices in his head, speaking in frantic tones. He tried to focus on the voices he was hearing, but he couldn't decipher the words. All he could hear was that there were 3 distinct voices, most likely his team. His body hurt too much and soon after awaking did he black out again.

* * *

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

The same repetitive, monotone sound repeated without end. He was on a soft surface, most likely a bed, but where? Had his team found him and brought him back to the Great Fox? I thought they would have left for good. The noise was slowly becoming mind-numbing driving Fox insane, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He could tell now from the noise he was hearing was most likely a heart monitor, so he was probably in the med bay. He couldn't think too hard, his head hurt too much to think.

Suddenly, the whirring sound of a door was heard and there were footsteps. He couldn't smell any foreign scents, so Fox felt safe in his bedridden state. Regardless of if he didn't like being stuck in bed, at least he wasn't in any danger.

"What are we going to do with him?" Krystal asked. "His injuries are extremely severe, i'm surprised he even managed to survive the crash." Her voice may have sounded composed, but he could still hear the slight tones of worry in her voice.

"I don't know. We're going to have to get to a hospital on Corneria quickly before his condition gets so bad that it's irreversible." Slippy said and unlike Krystal, couldn't manage to keep his emotions from seeping into his voice. It was a mixture of worry and fear. ' _Is my condition really that bad? I thought our medical technology on the Great Fox was fine_ ' Fox thought. He started thinking for the worse, wondering if he was going to be like this forever, but quickly dismissed the thought and kept hopeful.

"I guess I should start planning a route back. One of you make sure nothing bad happens in here while I'm gone, and if it does give me a shout" Peppy Hare quickly left the room, going to the main command center.

"I guess I can stay in here and watch over them if you want to go, Slippy. I know you will just get bored out of your mind" Krystal told Slippy.

' _Wait... Them? Does that mean that they also got Falco to safety? I thought they didn't care..._ ' Fox thought. His head kept banging, and thinking about what happened made his head hurt more. He just hoped that Falco made it out in better condition than he did.

"Okay Krystal, thanks. I'll go see how long the journey will take and come tell you." He didn't sound nowhere near as worried as he did when he originally came into the room. He guessed getting them out of his sight may calm his nerves more.

Once the whir of the door closing could be heard, a gentle sigh was heard from Krystal. "Oh Fox, if only you would have listened... At least then both of you wouldn't be in this state. But I guess you're not the only person to have blame." Krystal said in a low tone. She didn't even think Fox could hear her, but still said it. It tug on her conscience that this was partially her fault. If they didn't leave him on his own against Star Wolf, he might have not been in this state to start with.

The room seemed to suddenly move in a jolt. The journey to Corneria had just begun and Fox was not expecting it. His heart started racing from the sudden movement, surprised from it. The ship continued to move, but slowly got into more a stable movement pattern and he felt calm again.

After 5 minutes, Slippy returned, informing Krystal of the time it would take. According to Slippy it would take around a day to get there even in hyperspeed. Fox's head continued to bang, and the movement wasn't helping his case. The extreme pain in his head was torturing to him, agonizing him. Soon after Slippy left the med bay for the second time, exhaustion claimed Fox as his thoughts went back to black.

* * *

Fox got his thoughts back under his control. He had no clue how long he had been passed out for, but the engine of a ship and the movement of it was not there. He assumed they had arrived at Corneria. The air in his surroundings were different, it seemed more clinical. Had he been moved? He had no clue. ' _Great, now I have no idea where I am. I guess they sent me to a hospital._ '

Fox tried to open his eyes, but even with all of his effort they would not open. Fox felt deflated, wondering how much longer he would have to be in this state. He tried to move his body, and to his surprise he could actually move, albeit in slow movements. Once again, he tried to open his eyes, and this time he succeeded. Light filled his vision, and he had to close his eyes quickly, the light paining his retinas. Slowly, and more reluctantly, he opened his eyes again. This time, his eyes didn't hurt as bad, and he was able to keep his eyes open for a greater period of time. Granted, they still hurt, but at least it was bearable.

The room he was in was extremely bright. A light in the ceiling directly above him forced Fox to avert his eyes away. The walls were a pure white colour, as were the sheets on his bed. There was a TV at the side of his bed and a heart monitor. He suddenly noticed tubes connected to him, pouring a strange liquid into his blood. It felt weird to him, but he kept it in, as it was most likely to help him recover.

He looked outside the window to the left of him and saw giant monoliths of buildings and skyscrapers in rows on end. He was undoubtedly in Corneria, none of the other planets had the financial power to build such extravagant buildings for no reason other than for a demonstration of wealth. He was most likely in the middle of Corneria, as that was where the majority of the bigger buildings were placed. He looked at the biggest building of them all, and from there he knew it was the main governmental building, where all the big decisions were made. The top of the building had a large glass window, and inside there were two individuals.

It was most likely that the room was the president of Corneria's office. It seemed too important for it not to be. His vision was brought down into the background of Corneria, where the buildings were modest. That was where the middle class lives. Although he couldn't see further, he knew about the slums of Corneria. Those whom life was not too kind to. It was easy for the stuck up, rich politicians and leaders to ignore the condition of the poor when they didn't have to see the atrocities of their living standards.

The noise of a door opening distracted Fox, looking to his right he saw a door opening and a fairly tall, thin fennec dressed in a white coat walked into the room. Her facial expression showed her confusion, as she looked very surprised. "Oh, uh... Hello. Are you feeling any better?" The fennec asked, stuttering slightly. ' _I guess she wasn't expecting me to be awake. I wonder what she was going to do while I was asleep_.' Fox thought.

"I guess I am, at least I can move now, even if it's only slightly." Fox answered back.

"Well, that's good..." She seemed to be awkward talking to Fox.

"Do you want me to inform your team that you're awake?" She asked after a delay.

"Are they here?" He wondered. ' _I thought they would be doing all sorts of things while we're in Corneria. I guess they're concerned..._ '

"Yes, they have been here since yesterday. They rushed in with you and haven't left since." she replied. The awkward silence took over again.

"Well then, if you would kindly tell them I'm awake I would be grateful." He replied. He had to get out of this awkward situation.

"Ok then, I'll just be going now." she stated as she quickly evacuated the room.

"God, that was an ordeal" Fox said as he sighed. He tried to move any further, and to his surprise he managed to sit up. He rested his head on the beds headboard, awaiting his teammates.

After a short wait, four people walked into the room. Krystal, Slippy, Peppy, and to his surprise General Pepper. "Fox! We're so glad that you're okay." Krystal said as she ran towards Fox and hugged him. However, Fox still had not recovered properly and the pain in his limbs returned.

"Agh, Krystal be careful please." he grunted.

"Oh... Sorry about that." Krystal backed off slightly.

"So, what's the news? About, well, everything." Fox asked. He had no clue what happened after the crash.

"Well, there's a slight problem. Your condition is fine and you should be able to continue your work after a week but..." General Pepper started "... Falco's condition is extremely severe, as you could probably tell. Luckily for you, you crashed into a snow mound, which cushioned your crash slightly. Falco however crashed into a mountain. He's lucky to still be alive but he's not woken up yet. We think he may be in a coma." Peppy finished.

Fox looked in their eyes, looking for any lie. His expression was blank. He wished it wasn't true, It couldn't be true, but all the signs said that they were serious. How could they continue to work without Falco, with three pilots? "We're so sorry Fox. If we hadn't have left you, you both wouldn't be in this situation" Krystal said lowly, she looked ashamed at leaving.

"It's... Okay." Fox slowly said. He wasn't sure if Krystal believed in what he just said. He wasn't even sure if he himself believed in it. He still felt betrayed.

"But what are we supposed to do without Falco, we can't operate efficiently enough with only three pilots?" Fox inquired.

"Well, I guess we're just going to have to try and find another person who can fill his role until he gets better, if he gets better that is." Peppy stated. Fox wasn't comfortable with the idea of having to hire somebody new, but he agreed reluctantly.

"I suppose we will."

* * *

 **End note:**  
Well, that's it for the first chapter. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed near the end of it, but I really wanted to start to go forward in the story. Also it may seem a bit weird to start a story like this but it's the only way I could think of doing it. Anyway, see you next time.


	2. Chapter 2: Release

**Authors note:**

I took the reviews under consideration and changed up my writing style with the speech between characters so it's easier to understand. I have also done this to the previous chapter, but there's nothing else added to the story.

* * *

Chapter 2: Release

The sun arose in the morning, casting an orange glow over Corneria. A lone Wolf, inside his 'home' awoke. He groggily looked to his clock on the bed stand, but the numbers were too blurred. He focused his eyes on the green numbers and it read. **7:34**. He groaned, realising he had little time to get ready for what he was supposed to do today. His alarm didn't go off, again. He was starting to get infuriated by the clock not functioning properly.

He quickly got up from his bed and went into the shower. He had little time to waste, or else he would be late. He left the shower 5 minutes later and brushed his teeth haphazardly, rushing out of the bathroom. He looked into his closet to find clothes to wear, noticing his mercenary suit, spikes adorning the leather materials. He chose to wear something more casual, he wouldn't want to stick out in public.

He noticed his eye patch located next to his clock, and quickly stuffed it into his pocket. A light chuckle sounded from the lupine. ' _Oh, if only they knew_ '. Contrary to popular belief, Wolf O'Donnell actually had two functioning eyes, even if one of them was not as good as the other and scarred. He had his reasons for using the eye patch, and later for his cybernetic eye patch. He rid of the classic eye patch but continued the use of the cybernetic eye patch, as it had several bonuses over using his actual eye, but _they_ took that away from him.

He sighed, looking at the clock again. **7:46**. ' _Guess now is as good of a time as any_ ' he thought as he began his journey. He never bothered to put on his eye patch, it would just make him look out of place and intimidating to the public, he didn't want this.

As he walked towards the centre of the city, he noticed the park to his right. The sun glistened magnificently on the ponds surface, casting off orange hues of light. He marveled at the sight for a while, before he mentally scolded himself. He couldn't be like this in public. He quickly hurried off to the main military building.

He looked up at the building, dwarfing him in size. The walls of the building were white, casting off the light from the sun, glowing brightly. Before entering the building, he put on his eye patch. Now that he wasn't going to be in public, he wasn't bothered about others seeing him wearing it. He walked into the building and noticed the room encompassed him. It was a large dome shaped room, with a desk at the end. Above the desk there was a large clock, showing the time to be 8:04. They had said to meet at 8 o'clock, but they could wait. It's not like they had anything else to do urgently. Ever since the Aparoid invasion, interplanetary conflict died off. Only few people were actually needed, mainly for pirates.

He walked up to the desk to see a cheery husky looking directly at him. She was shorter than Wolf, but she was no means small. She was around 1 to 2 inches shorter than him, more including his mohawk. "Excuse me miss, can you please tell me where General Peppers office is? I don't have a faintest clue of where to go" Wolf asked politely. It seemed strange for him to ask politely, but he would just have to get used to it.

"Sure can. Just take the elevator on the left wing to the fourth floor. After, it should be the third office on your right. Office 132, just in case you forget your way" she replied ecstatically. She wasn't too familiar with interactions with others, since the military was barely used too much any more, but she was still full of energy.

"Thank you" Wolf said.

"No problem." She winked as he started to walk off.

The elevator ascended quickly, catching Wolf by surprise. He got to the fourth floor and looked for Office 132. He knocked on the door and a voice called out from within. "Come on in".

* * *

It had been a week now since the fight with Star Wolf happened. Fox left the hospital 2 days later, and was now living in his house, or his old house, where he lived with his parents. He didn't feel like going to his current house, it felt cold and alone, so distant from what a home should actually be. He felt that all he needed was some effort, making it more homely, but that required too much effort and he would still feel alone. If he had someone to live with, he would gladly live there, but he was in no position to do so.

He left his house around midday with the intent to go to the hospital. He wanted to visit Falco again, hoping that his condition was better, or getting there. He didn't like thinking about what happened, as it made him annoyed. He knew that his team made the right choice by evacuating, but he couldn't help but feel angry.

He walked in the main block and walked up to the counter. The receptionist seemed busy, not really looking for anybody who wanted to speak to her. He looked at her, amazed by how she didn't notice him. "Hello?" he asked. The receptionist quickly looked up and noticed him, slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry about that, what can I help you with?" she asked in a formal tone.

"Could you please tell me where the room for Falco Lombardi is?" he questioned. He hadn't actually visited Falco yet, for many reasons. One being his fear, his fear that his condition was too severe and he wouldn't get better. Another one being his own condition, he had been resting at home, recovering from his own crash.

"And who is this regarding?" her voice never changed from her formal, yet friendly tone, even if it sounded distant.

"Fox McCloud." he stated his name clearly.

" _The_ Fox Mccloud? Sorry, I didn't notice. He's down on the right corridor in room 14." She clearly didn't recognise him out of his mercenary gear.

He began his journey down the corridor when he ran into Krystal. Fox smiled and she smiled back, but he could tell it wasn't a good smile. It seemed more of a sad smile. "Hey Krystal, were you just in with Falco?" His facial expression changed, looking more fearful of Falco's condition.

"Yeah, just went in quickly. He's still not awake yet unfortunately." she informed him. He could see it in her eyes that she still felt guilty about leaving them.

"Oh, okay... I just came to visit him also, see how he's doing but..." he trailed off.

"Well, I'm sure he will be fine, he just needs to take his time and recover," she said "but, after you've visited him, would you like to go out for some coffee or food?" she asked. Her face seemed hopeful, and Fox felt bad for what he was about to say.

"Sorry Krystal, I'm really busy, this was just going to be a quick visit as I have a lot to do..."he said, as her face drooped slightly. "Maybe some other time, okay?" he quickly added to not make her feel so bad

"Hm... That's okay. I guess I'll be going now. Goodbye." She quickly walked off.

"See ya." he replied.

He couldn't help but feel bad about Krystal. He knew she liked him, and felt bad when he denied her advancements. He even liked her at a time, like the first time he saw her on Sauria. There was no denying she was beautiful, and unique too. Who could say they had seen a blue vixen before? But after he talked to her, they seemed more like friends than lovers. Mostly because she wanted to join the team after her rescue, and Fox obliged. He felt he had to look after her, as all of the other people she knew were gone.

After she joined the team, he realised that being in a relationship wasn't the best idea. Mercenary work wasn't the best for relationships, mainly because if they were together, he would be too scared for her. He couldn't live with himself if she had died or gotten injured, and he would obviously kick her off the team, just to keep her safe. He knew that would be a selfish decision on his part, so he tried to avoid her trying to get them in a relationship. This team was her life, and he couldn't take that away from her. After being with her for so long, he felt that she was like a sister he never had, and he didn't want to ruin it.

And if they ever did break up, that would create a large amount of distrust and anger between them. Doing this seemed like the safest option. At least to him, but he didn't feel okay with it.

As he opened the door to Falco's room, he saw a curtain blocking him from his view. He silently closed the door and approached the bed. A beeping noise slowly got louder and louder, until he opened the curtains. Fox's jaw dropped open, not knowing it would actually be this bad. Both of Falco's legs were bandaged greatly, and his left wing was in a cast. His beak was broken and his head bruised.

Fox quickly left the room and rested his back on the door. His heart was pounding, head spinning. He couldn't help but feel guilty about this, looking back on the battle and seeing if there was anything he could have done which would have prevented this. If he had focused Leon, he wouldn't have shot down Falco. If he had told the team to fall back when they were in this critical state, he wouldn't be in this state. He knew Falco's ship was damaged greatly, but Falco insisted he was fine. He should have thought rationally, told Falco that he wouldn't be fine and that he had to get out, but he didn't. And now, he was comatose, having no knowledge of what was happening on the outside.

He mentally scolded himself for thinking this way. What happened had happened and there is nothing he could do about it now, so he had to stop dwelling on it. Fox slowly walked away from the room and towards the exit of the hospital. The receptionist however, noticed that he was acting strangely. "Excuse me, Fox. Are you okay? You don't look too good."

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just need a bit of air is all." he lied through his teeth. He didn't feel fine at all. He wasn't sure what he was feeling; concern, guilt, fear? He couldn't tell, but he did know how it was affecting him. His breathing rate had increased and he was shaking slightly.

"Hm... Alright, have a good day now." She didn't look convinced in the slightest, but allowed him to go anyway. As he left the building, he noticed a bench to the side. He seated himself next to an old, brown Labrador. He also noticed his strange behaviour, but instead of asking him what was wrong he just walked off.

' _Jeez, what's wrong with him?_ ' the canine thought as he walked away. Fox didn't seem phased in the slightest, just stared forward into the road, watching the cars go by, until his heart rate calmed down.

* * *

"Welcome Wolf. How are you finding your time out of jail?" Pepper introduced. He sat behind his desk, where two monitors were stationed. He surprisingly seemed pleased to see Wolf. This made Wolf sceptical of Pepper's motives.

"At least I don't have to wake up to people screaming their heads off or banging on the bars." He shrugged. He had no idea why Pepper even called him to the meeting, and at the time Pepper was being civil so he should too.

"Well that's good. So, have you heard the news about Star Fox?" he questioned.

' _So that's why he wanted to meet._ '. "News?" Wolf had no idea what had been happening outside of the jail so this was information, possibly for his benefit.

"Well, it turns out they had a run-in with your team above Fichina an-"

" _Old_ team." Wolf quickly cut off.

"Right, as I was saying, Falco Lombardi crashed into Fichina and is fatally wounded, comatose even. Their team is lacking in pilots and since you finally got pardoned for your crimes, I was wondering if you would want to join their team." Pepper finished. Wolf was taken aback, Pepper wanted him to join Star Fox? How preposterous.

"Wait wait, hold on a second. Did you just say you want me to work for Star Fox? Under the command of _Fox_? Do you know how stupid that sounds?" Even if Pepper thought he should join Star Fox, that wouldn't change the fact that Fox certainly wouldn't. He was pretty sure that Fox still hated him, and for good reason. "I hardly doubt that Fox would want to work with somebody who he thinks killed his dad." He added.

"Thinks?" Pepper seemed confused at this. Everybody thought Wolf had killed him and for good reason. Even Wolf took responsibility when asked, but now?

"Oh come on. You think somebody like me, a novice at the time, could take him down? He was the greatest pilot in the system, I stood no chance. Pigma did everything. James was so distracted on fighting Andross' forces that he would have never seen that defective swine betray him until too late". Wolf kept his face clear of emotion, not giving away anything to Pepper.

"So, why did you even take responsibility? That makes no sense"

"I have my reasons." Wolf said lowly.

"Anyway, the offer is open. It'll save you from going into a menial job living on minimum pay, when you could be paid much more for your mastery in piloting." Pepper added. Wolf cringed. Pay. Money. That was one of the biggest problems in his entire life. It reminded of the things he would do, just to get paid a miniscule amount of money. Steal from shops, assault civilians, working for Andross... He could never get over that, the biggest mistake in his life.

"Fine. I'll tell you when I have made up my mind on the matter. Goodbye." He quickly walked out of the room into the long corridor. He placed his hand on his head and groaned. Only two days ago, his life was fine. No complications. But now, he had to either choose whether he would work for his rival's team or not. Thinking back, he slightly wished he was still in jail. It was simple, and Wolf liked simple.

* * *

 **Four years ago:**

"Wolf O'Donnell is hereby sentenced to 21 years in Corneria State Prison, for the crimes of working for Andross, thievery and murder." The Judges gavel slammed into the desk, surprising Wolf. The knowledge of this arrangement was hidden from the public, as requested by Wolf. He handed himself in to them, knowing he would be sentenced to prison, possibly for life. He wanted it a secret however, so it didn't destroy his 'image'. If people knew he was in jail, they would think of him as weak for being caught by the Cornerian justice system.

' _21 years? That's going a little easy..._ ' He wondered as he was guided off outside by two guards. The bus outside was cold and monochrome, unwelcoming to all. His hands were cuffed and he was guided onto the bus. The journey was long and uneventful, and he felt strangely subdued as the bus rode onward. He was the only one on the bus, so he had no one to talk to, alone with his thoughts. He rested in his seat and drifted off into slumber.

"Get up." A guard nudged him with his arm. His limbs were stiff, and as he arose he stretched his body. Looking at the jail from the front made it look far more intimidating than he originally thought. Prior to this, he had only seen it from an aerial view. From above, it didn't look no where near as big as it currently did. Wolf was pushed forwards by an impatient guard, and he continued moving.

Many of the prisoners inside looked old, angry, scarred. Some tried to lash out but were quickly subdued by the guards.

"Here." A cell room opened to the right of him, and the inside of the room was foul. A bed with stained sheets was placed in the corner. In the corner opposite the bed was his toilet. At least, one could call it a toilet. To him, it looked like more of a bucket than a toilet. That was all inside the room, making it empty.

"Dinner is about to end soon, I suggest you make it to the cafeteria before it closes unless you want to starve. It's just at the end of this corridor." The guard stated as he walked the opposite direction. Wolf slowly walked down the corridor and noticed the size of the room. It was a grand room, with rows and rows of benches. Hundreds of convicts sat on these benches, eating the mush that could hardly be called food.

As he made his way to the food, a stubby bulldog stood up and pushed him to the side, almost knocking him over. "Hey, O'Donnell. I knew a piece of scum like you would end up in in here" he said as he swung his fist at Wolf. Wolf didn't even attempt to dodge, just took the hit to his left arm. The guards in the room raised their heads, ready to stop a conflict if it got to that stage.

"That all you gonna do to me?" Wolf said as he looked unaffected by the hit.

"You little piece of shit!" He shouted as he threw another punch. This time, Wolf dodged nimbly too the side of his fist. The bulldog threw his weight into the punch, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Wolf fiercely struck him in the side, knocking him to the floor, out cold. The guards watching quickly ran at Wolf and detained him.

He was lead into the wardens office and thrown in, as the guards stood by at the door. "O'Donnell, I know he started that but there was no need for you to retaliate. We could have sorted him out and penalised him instead." The warden was a large rottweiler, looking intimidating to most. But Wolf O'Donnell, was not most

"So what? That shit had it coming to him." He said coolly, disinterested in what the warden had to say.

"Listen here, if you keep acting this way, your time here will be a living nightmare. If you want solitary confinement, keep acting this way. We can always prolong your stay here." He said menacingly.

"Fine... Have it your way. But if this happens again, don't expect me to sit down and take it". He stared at the warden, as if trying to intimidate him, but it had no effect. The warden had nerves of steel, trained to not show any fear.

"Good. Now get out of here!" The guards grabbed him violently and pulled him out of the room.

"Get to your cell O'Donnell. If we see you out of your cell, you don't want to know what the consequences will be." The guards pushed him forward and left him to his own devices. Wolf arrived at his cell and laid down on his bed. ' _This ought to be interesting_ '. He thought back on the incident and actually seemed sad. Of all the emotions Wolf could have experienced, he felt sadness. He would never show his feelings to others, and for good reason. If people knew that the famed ' _Lord_ O'Donnell' felt sad about things, they would flip. ' _Hm, I guess some things never change..._ ' he sighed as tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

Throughout his life, Wolf O'Donnell was reviled greatly. He had never actually experienced love in any way, not even through his parents. His mother died shortly after his birth and his dad fell into a terrible state of depression. Wolf was often abused by his alcoholic father, as he blamed him for losing his wife. This lack of love left a hole in Wolf, always emerging after something like that happened. He steeled his nerves and closed his eyes. He wouldn't be caught dead crying over something so small, and if it was on camera it would be even worse. He slowly drifted off into sleep.

* * *

 **Four days ago:**

Wolf opened his eyes slowly, unknowing of what was about to occur today. A loud banging emanated from the bars from his cells, as a guard rang his baton across them. "Get up O'Donnell, the warden wants to speak to you"

Over the years, nothing happened to Wolf. Nobody ever wanted to start a fight with him after what he did on the first day. The stubby bulldog, now known to him as 'Big Bob', was apparently one of the strongest and most feared of the rest of the prison. After they saw what Wolf did to him in one punch, they were all terrified of him, which was fine by him. It meant no trouble.

He opened the door to the wardens office and looked the warden in the eyes. "You wanted to see me? What an honour." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Sit down and shut up O'Donnell. I called you in here to tell you that you have been officially released from jail." Wolf's eyes widened drastically.

"Wait what? I thought I was supposed to be in here for 21 years, it's only been 4. What kind of nonsense is this?" he almost shouted. He had no idea why he was being let off so easy, why would he be? "Why am I being released?"

"Well, it turns out you have been a lucky man, Mr O'Donnell. Your behaviour in the jail has been perfect after the first day. Not only that, but General Pepper also requested for you to be set free. Consider yourself lucky, not everybody has the benefit of leaving early." He was getting impatient with being in the room with him.

' _Old salt and Pepper wants me out of jail? I don't even know what I've done to make him want me out..._ '. He mulled over this thought until he was brought out of his trance.

"Well, that's it O'Donnell. Time for you to go. I'll have the guards guide you out of the jail and from there, you're a free man." He said as he turned back to his computer. The guards from behind opened the door and walked through the jail. He followed slowly, getting shouted at by the guards for being so slow, so he sped up.

After getting outside, he had no idea what to do. He wasn't accustomed to living under the law, and he didn't know where he was supposed to go. He remembered that his parents had a house in the city, which he believed now belonged to his sister. He had no idea where it was, but he just walked onward, letting his feet guide him.

* * *

 **End note:**

The characters may seem a bit OOC compared to what they are usually like in the games, but I feel like it will be easier to develop their character better if they act like this. Sorry if it's a bit off putting. See you next time.


	3. Chapter 3: First Encounter

**Authors note:**

I've noticed fair amount of hate in the reviews on this story, but it doesn't really bother me. I know they are reviewing only for hate, but I haven't even gotten to the part of the story where Fox and Wolf even meet so their comments are irrelevant. Thank you everybody else for reviewing my story and giving me help on how to improve. Onto the story

* * *

Chapter 3: First Encounter

Birds tweeted melodically in the park, basking in the sunlight from above. Two days after the meeting with the general, Wolf was still not sure on what to do. He knew the benefits of accepting his offer; a job, money, fame. Despite the Aparoid Invasion being five years ago, and the Lylat war even further back, they were still popular, more so than the president or other celebrities. This fact annoyed Wolf more than anything though, almost all advertisements used the fame of Star Fox, primarily Fox, to show off their product. It was a stupid ploy for money, but it works.

And then there were the disadvantages of joining the team, the main one being under the command of Fox. Wolf thought it would be far too degrading to have to work for somebody else, let alone _Fox_. He wasn't sure if he could swallow his pride and work for him. Also, there was his team. He knew for sure that they wouldn't be happy about this. He had fought against them on several occasions, almost killing them. ' _I hardly believe that they would sweep all of that under the rug..._ '

From this, people believed Wolf to be the ' _Fox McCloud of Venom_ ', which doesn't sound nowhere near as bad as it was. The public thought that Venom was a planet full of psychopaths, sociopaths and exiles, a land of death and destruction, and to be the poster boy of that served no benefit. In a way, that is what Venom is, a breeding ground for crime, but it wasn't always that way.

Venom used to be habitable by only few, lizards mostly. But after Andross, some parts of the planet were revitalised by him, so other species could survive. Wolf had only spent one year in Venom, training for his army, the rest of his life spent on Corneria. While living with his parents, Wolf developed a hate for the planet and it's justice system. In his naivety, he thought it would be a good idea to leave for Venom and join Andross. His ideals then seemed reasonable, the belief that Corneria was corrupt, not caring for those whose fate was not kind to. His lies weaved into the minds of his subjects, controlling them. And now, he was caught in the bad image of Venom.

He couldn't get a job in any other mercenary team as most other teams were either terrified of him or wouldn't risk their reputation with him. Star Fox was his only way forward, and as much as he wanted to deny it, he took out his communicator from his jeans pocket and flicked through his contacts.

The phone flickered to his touch and began to dial. After a few seconds wait, the screen lit up brighter and the image of General Pepper hovered as a hologram in front of him.

"So Wolf, I take it you have thought about your answer to my proposal?" Pepper asked. Wolf let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before he replied.

"Uh, yeah... I accept your offer on joining the Star Fox team." He would have never thought for those words to ever leave his mouth in his life.

"Is this your final decision? You know you can not take back your word after you have accepted." Pepper clearly stated.

"Yeah yeah, don't make me doubt myself on this now." Wolf was rethinking over the situation, wondering if he made the right choice.

"Okay then. I will call Fox and tell him of the proposal. I would like for you to come to my office later today, in around an hour. Goodbye Wolf." Wolf couldn't dwell on the thought of him making the wrong decision as the light from his phone died down into a gentle glow. ' _Well, I guess that's that._ ' The park wasn't too far away from the main military building, so he decided to wait a while before starting on his way to the building.

* * *

The Star Fox team, excluding Falco, all sat in the recreational room of the Great Fox. The week had been slow for the team, no jobs for them to do, which was practically a given. Some would consider four pilots being a small number for a mercenary team, never mind three. Most employers would still go to Star Fox to help, since they knew of their expertise and work they did in the Lylat wars, but now with three, not much could be done. Most teams had around 6 to 10 pilots on their ship, and being the lesser of those gave them a lot of competition.

The team had agreed to meet on the ship every morning around 11 o'clock, to check if they had any mission requests or any messages from anybody else wanting to contact them, but this proved to have no avail.

"Why do we _all_ have to come to the Great Fox? We only really need one person to check and they can notify the rest of the team of an assignment..." Slippy groaned. "I could be spending time with my girlfriend now." The frog looked impatient, waiting for himself to be dismissed so he could go.

"I don't mind it really. At least we're being social with each other, talking, hanging out. That kind of stuff." Krystal replied. "Besides, why have to tell the rest of the team when we can all be here? It's not that long, only an hour of our time a day."

"An hour too long if you ask me." Slippy remarked. As he said this, he got a sharp look from Peppy, sitting at the other side of the table from him. Slippy looked down, slightly ashamed. ' _Kids..._ ' he thought to himself.

A monotone, mechanical voice sounded through the speakers of the room. " **Star Fox team to main control center. A message has been received from General Pepper.** "

"See Slippy? I knew it would be a good idea for us all to meet here." Fox told him. "Come on guys, lets go."

The team quickly scurried onward to the main room, all standing behind Fox. "ROB, read the message out." A holographic image of General Peppers face appeared in the room, casting a blue glow around the area.

"Greetings Star Fox. I have a proposal of you which I hope you will be happy to hear. This may solve your problems of no jobs. I would like Fox to meet me at 12 o'clock later today, and if any body else wants to join him you're free to do so. I will tell you the details there. Goodbye". The hologram disappeared and the room returned to normal.

"Just Fox huh? Guess I don't have to go. I'll see you later guys, I'm off to go hang around with Amanda." Slippy said as he walked away to the docking bay.

"I'll miss this one out too Fox. Tell me about it tomorrow, okay? I want to know what this 'proposal' is what Pepper is going on about." Peppy stated as he followed shortly after Slippy.

"So Krystal, what do you plan on doing? You could do anything." Fox asked, slightly hoping she wouldn't come with him for the sake of awkwardness.

"Oh, I was wondering if I could come with you? I would have thought you could have done with the company." She replied calmly. Thing was, Fox didn't mind having her come along, he liked the company of Krystal. She always knew what to say, probably because she was a telepath and could tell what to say from that, but she was nice. The only reason Fox didn't want her to come with him was that she always tries to try get Fox to go on a date with her, or she might treat it as a date.

Fox could remember the time he and Krystal were away from the team during the Aparoid Invasion, he had felt awkward. Especially after Tricky made his comment about their honeymoon. It made him wonder more about his 'relationship' with Krystal. Krystal's face after Tricky said that was priceless, her face lit up but then quickly her ears flattened on her head and looked away shyly.

"I guess we should get going then." Fox started walking and Krystal quickly followed. They had around half an hour to get to the main military building, and the walk was fairly long. It was a warm summers day, the sun bearing down on them, making them hot. The walk itself was peaceful, not many people were on the streets of Corneria. Many of them were either at the park or on the beach with their families. Fox thought sourly on how everybody else got to have fun, out on this beautiful day while he had to have a meeting with the general. Whatever it was, it had to be important.

As Fox was walking, a tall, grey furred figure caught Fox's eye. He was walking in the same direction as Fox and Krystal, so he couldn't see them. ' _Is that, Wolf? It couldn't be..._ '. Upon further inspection, he could identify the lupine as Wolf. ' _The nerve of that guy! How can he be here as if he's done nothing wrong? Guess the meeting with Pepper has to wait, Wolf has a meeting with my fist first!_ ' Fox thought bitterly about his 'Rival'. Krystal realised these thoughts and attempted to grab Fox's hand before he did something stupid, but she was too slow.

Fox quickly ran forward and lunged, thrusting his fist to the back of Wolf's head. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed as he fell forward, face first into the pavement. Fox quickly picked Wolf up by the back of his shirt collar and threw him against a wall. The few pedestrians around the scene either watched the spectacle or fled, hoping not to be caught up in it.

He span Wolf around, keeping his hand connected to his collar, curled up into a fist. "What are you doing here!? You think you can just walk around here, acting as if you haven't done anything? WHY! You almost killed Falco! He's in a coma because of you!" He screamed in his face. Krystal had never seen this side of Fox, so vicious and hateful. Any other encounter with Wolf seemed like it was just a minor annoyance to Fox. Normally he was calm, collected, mature. She peered into Wolf's mind to see what he was thinking, and he was surprisingly calm. She normally would have expected him to be angry, furious at this attack. She wondered if Wolf had even done anything wrong.

Fox hurled another fist into Wolf's face, but he moved his head to the right and dodged the assault. He moved his head forward and headbutted Fox, making him stutter back. Using this opportunity, Wolf quickly threw a punch of his own. The punch was slow, heavy, and predictable. Fox quickly grabbed his arm and used the momentum of his punch to push Wolf down on the ground. He grunted as he fell to the floor yet again, ungracefully. Fox quickly grabbed both of his hands and held them together, immobilising Wolf. "You're getting sloppy Wolf."

It was true, his time in jail had not helped his case either, his combat skills lacking from what they used to be."Ugh. Somebody, help! This mad man is attacking me!" Wolf shouted out.

A nearby police officer looked at the situation and frowned. "Right, that's it, get off him!" the officer commanded Fox. He then recognised his face, slightly in awe. "Wait, Fox McCloud? What are you doing?" He had never caused trouble with the law before, so this was surprising to him.

"Taking down this trash. He doesn't deserve to be out here, I'm taking him to jail." Fox replied, voice full of Venom. Wolf spluttered on the ground as he fought against Fox's grip.

"I haven't done anything officer. I was just on my way to meet with General Pepper when this guy randomly jumped me." Wolf informed the guard. ' _Wait... Wolf was going to meet the general? What kind of lies is he spreading now?_ ' Fox wondered.

"Oh really? We were just on our way over there now. How about we escort you, to make sure you're not lying? I wouldn't put it past you to run." Fox offered, his voice spiteful. Krystal was wondering why he was being so awful. She also knew Wolf was the cause of Falco's condition, but attacking him helps with nothing.

"Fox! Let go of him, now! He hasn't done anything." Krystal told Fox sternly. He was taken aback by her response. ' _She's siding with him?_ ' Fox slowly, and reluctantly, let go of Wolf, letting him stand up. He took a deep breath, after his lungs being crushed under Fox.

"Thank you Miss. Can you watch them to make sure they don't get into another conflict? I'd rather not have to have somebody else intervene." the officer told her.

"It's no problem, I have Fox under control, and I doubt Wolf would attack Fox if he know what's good for him." She replied. The officer slowly walked away, going back to his car. The three then continued their journey to the main military building.

"Thanks Blue... I doubt anybody else would get him away from me. I appreciate it... Could you please stand between us? I don't want him attacking me again." Wolf said as he looked evilly at Fox. Fox returned the look with an equally insulting glare.

The three finally made it to their location, Wolf's clothes dirtied from the conflict. They looked up at the clock to look at the time, 12:32. "Great... Now we're late because of you!" Wolf said to Fox. Fox continued onward, ignoring Wolf.

Wolf had known this was never going to be easy, but he still went anyway. He started having second thoughts on joining the team again. If Fox was like this, there was no way he would be able to stay anywhere near him, never mind on his team.

They quickly got in the elevator, Fox and Wolf staying at opposite sides of the box. As they made it to the fourth floor, Wolf quickly left the other two on their own as he knocked on Peppers door. "You're late." Pepper remarked. Fox and Krystal followed shortly after. "So, what's happened here?" Pepper looked at the state what Wolf was in and was confused.

"Take a wild guess." Wolf said as he turned away from Fox.

"Fox... What did you do?" Pepper scolded Fox. It seemed like everybody was against Fox for some reason. ' _Sure, it's my fault._ '

"Wait, you're serious? You actually wanted to meet him? What the hell?! Why? This isn't making any sense, he should be in court now, being sent to jail!" Fox was seething. Why wasn't Pepper capturing Wolf?

"Well, he's part of my proposal. Meet your new replacement for Falco." Pepper stated clearly. Fox's eyes widened greatly, shocked by this.

"I'm not so sure about this any more general. I don't think I'll be able to stay anywhere near this psychopath." Wolf told him in a sour voice.

"Oh, I'm the psychopath? I wasn't the one who tried to conquer the entire of the Lylat system" Fox replied in a tone just as sour.

"Shut your mouth pup!" Wolf snarled back to him.

"Make me!" Fox snarled back.

"Both of you, stop!" Pepper barked. "You're just going to have to deal with each other, unless you want to be out of action for the next two months until Falco gets better, if he does that is. You could be out of jobs forever." He added.

"Personally, I think it's a good opportunity. We would be one pilot up, not to mention a good one." Krystal added to Pepper's points. She quickly got close to Fox. " _Plus, it would be better if he was on our side instead of fighting against us_ " she whispered to Fox.

" _How do we know he isn't just going to betray us?_ " He replied back " _If he's on our ship, it would just be easier for him to kill us!_ "

" _Just trust me, he won't betray us. And if he ever does in the future, I can tell before it happens._ " she told him. At some points, he forgot she could read others minds. With her assurance, he thought he could trust her judgement, even if he didn't entirely trust Wolf.

"Tell me this general. Why are you asking him to join our team after what he did to Falco? He's the reason Falco's in this situation in the first place, and you just want to replace him with Wolf? He's crazy!" Fox asked. Wolf turned away with a 'hmph' and looked out of the window.

"That wasn't Wolf, Fox. Did you even look at the ships they were piloting?" Pepper asked.

"Of course, they were all in Wolfen's. The only team to pilot such a ship is Star Wolf, so how was it _not_ him?" Fox asked. He was starting to get impatient, they were withholding information from him, and he wanted to know what it was.

' _Oh right, he had no idea I was in jail for the past four years..._ ' Wolf thought. "Heh, Star Wolf? Might as well call them ' _Star Lizard_ ' or ' _Star Panther_ ' or whatever stupid name they thought of. I left the team a while back. I thought you of all people would know that pup." He informed Fox.

' _Pup_ '. That name really aggravated Fox. Not only was Wolf only a year or two older than him, but Fox was a better pilot then him, he had bested him in the sky several times. To say he had the nerve to belittle him with that derogatory name really ticked something off in Fox.

"Like I believe that! You want me to believe they can run a team on their own? They're just loose cannons, ready to break." Fox shot back. "You were the only reason that team could stand up on it's one leg in the first place." Fox then chastised himself internally for accidentally complementing Wolf, saying he was the only stable one on the team.

"Believe it or not Fox, Wolf has been gone for four years. He's served his time in jail and is now pardoned for his crimes. I wouldn't be asking him to be Falco's replacement had this not happened. He even offered himself up." Pepper told Fox. Fox's face was a muddle of expressions, confusion, distrust. But he had no reason to distrust Pepper, it was Wolf who he didn't trust.

"Four years? That's a little short for what he's done to this. Do I have to remind you he almost took control of the entire system under the control of a maniac? How can you trust this lunatic?" Fox's bitter attitude to Wolf had not changed throughout this meeting.

"Still can't let go of the past, can you pup?" Wolf quietly uttered. "Even after all I did to help you in the Aparoid Invasion, you still don't trust me? I personally saved your life and you're still at my throat. I'm starting to feel there's no point arguing with you." he also mentioned. Fox had completely forgot about that.

He remembered standing on top of a skyscraper, ready to get into his arwing when he was suddenly ambushed by those, bugs. He had no choice but to fall off. If it wasn't for Wolf coming to save him, he would have hit the street face first, his journey and life ending there. Although he hated to admit it, Wolf saved his life. Krystal noticed his change in mood, noticing he was calming down a bit. She put a hand on his shoulder, happy that he calmed down.

"Fine. He can join. But let me tell you this O'Donnell, you try anything funny, anything at all, and you're off the team. Got it?" Fox quietly stated. Wolf was also surprised by his sudden change in tone.

"As long as you stop being so insufferable, you have yourself a deal." Wolf added. He held out his hand to Fox, exchanging a peace offering. Fox looked at his hand hesitantly, and slowly and carefully, took his hand in his own and shook it. He quickly let go, and looked at Pepper.

"I guess that's it. I will see if there are any missions for your team and message you through the Great Fox. Now that you have Wolf, you might be able to do missions now." Pepper remarked as he opened the door. "I'll be seeing you later, goodbye, all three of you."

"Bye" Wolf said as he quickly left the room. Fox and Krystal following after him.

"Goodbye general." Fox and Krystal both said as they left. They looked ahead and noticed Wolf far ahead.

"Hey Wolf! Be on the Great Fox, 11 o'clock sharp!" Fox shouted ahead at Wolf.

"And where would that be?" Wolf shouted back. He had no idea where anything was in this city. It had changed since he had lived here.

"Space port. It's close to this building, huge. You can tell which building as soon as you see it. Figure it out." He replied. Wolf quickly walked away from the two, leaving them alone.

"Well Fox, I'm proud of you. You could put your differences aside for the benefit of the team. By the way, there's still a few hours before the sun goes down... Would you like to, maybe, I don't know, go to the park for a while?" she asked. Although he wanted to decline, he couldn't shut her down. She had been the only one who wanted to spend time with him, so he should spend time with her.

"Sure Krystal, but only for a while. I've got to get home soon, got errands to do, that kind of stuff." He told her back. Her eyes lit up, this had been the first time he had agreed to her asking. She felt like she was finally making progress.

The walk to the park had been short, and they sat on a bench by the lake. They talked for a few hours, about anything. They talked about what their interests were, favourite food, drink, all of the random things which they doubted they would remember in a vital time, but it was nice to know these little details about each other.

They both stood up and watched the sunset on the lake, casting an orange glow on the land. They stood and watched it for a while, until the orange started to turn into a darker blue. "I guess this is it then Krystal. I had fun, but I better be going now. I'll see you tomorrow." Fox said as he turned to her.

"I had fun too, we have to do this again sometime!" Her face showed how content she was with the time she spent with Fox. Before Fox had anything to say back, she quickly hugged him and started walking. "See you later Fox." She said as she walked off.

As Fox walked off back to his home, he thought about what the time he spent meant to Krystal. He felt that the time he spent had just made him walk directly into the thing he wanted to avoid. While it was true, he did enjoy spending time with Krystal, it was only as friends. Krystal wanted more from it, which was dangerous. He preferred not having this risk of something bigger happening, as it would probably cause more problems in the future.

* * *

As Wolf got home, he went straight to his room. He went straight to his room to go to bed. His sister wasn't home, probably out with her boyfriend again. That guy really annoyed Wolf, his arrogant, obnoxious and sadistic attitude towards him. He was surprised he hadn't punched him in the face yet.

As he was preparing for bed, he looked at himself in the mirror. He wondered about the things Fox had called him. ' _Lunatic_ '. ' _Crazy_ '. ' _Trash_ '. He wasn't sure what to think of himself now. He thought he got over all of his past, trying to start anew. But if he was still thought of this, what was he to do? He was conflicted at this point. ' _Guess I'll just have to prove them all wrong_ ' Wolf thought as he got into his bed. The last thoughts in his mind before his slumber were on the conversation with Fox. If that was a civil meeting, he dreaded to think what it would be like on a natural basis.

* * *

And that's it for Chapter 3. Sorry about the delay with me releasing this, been doing revision for some exams. Just because I'm doing that, I won't leave this story unfinished unless I specifically say so, which I highly doubt I will. See you next time.


	4. Chapter 4: Impressions

Changes made: (Slight changes to wording to make it seem less repetitive)

* * *

Chapter 4: Impressions

 _Shouting could be heard from outside. The residents of Corneria ignored the noises, walking along, going about their business. This house occupied three lupines. An older male and two other children, one of each gender. The little girl hid behind the couch, cowering in fear, as the other two were located in the center of the room._

" _You're NOTHING! WORTHLESS!" The father roared, lugging his fist forward into the little boy's face. The face knocked the child back, immobilised by the powerful strike. The child could smell the alcohol on his breath._

" _Dad please! Stop!" The child whimpered on the floor, trying to escape. He tried to get up, but he felt too weak, completely at the mercy of the older male. The other child walked out of the room, quickly fleeing upstairs into her bedroom._

" _It's your fault she's gone! YOU DID THIS! She was perfectly fine before you came along and destroyed this family!" He shouted in his face, preparing another punch. The child on the floor could not dodge the assault, and as the fist came closer, the world turned black._

Wolf awoke in a cold sweat, shaking violently. His eyes shot open, and it took a while for him to notice his surroundings and calm down. These nightmares had haunted his dreams for years, some more vivid than others.

The memories of his father always stirred fear in Wolf. As a child, Wolf had no idea why he was being attacked other than it was his fault. He never knew his mother properly, as a normal child would have. It started since he was five years old, and up until he was thirteen. That was when he finally managed to overpower his father, as the alcohol took it's toll on his body. Instead, he kept a cold, distant, hateful relationship with Wolf.

Now he knew the source of the violence, he still felt bad. He couldn't get the thought out of his mind that he did actually kill his mother. According to his sister, she was perfectly healthy until Wolf was born. After his birth, his mothers health declined fast, quickly becoming bedridden. It took around two months for her to finally pass away, and after that his father had started drinking.

In the end, his father named him Wolf, for two reasons. The first, in memory of his wife. Her name was Wulfina, however he frequently called her Wolfy. The other reason being that he didn't even care for what his child was called. Normally, a name has meaning to somebody, most likely to their parents, but Wolf? He practically just gave him his species name and had been done with it. Wolf wouldn't have been surprised if his name would have ended up as Lupine. Even his sister, Luna, had been named with consideration.

Wolf woke up and looked to the clock on his bed stand. **9:54**. He groaned as he arose, walking into bathroom. He looked at his face in the mirror and grimaced, noticing what he looked like to others. ' _This isn't the face of happiness._ ' He felt as if he was insecure, unstable. He quickly got into the shower to prepare for the rest of the day.

* * *

Fox was roused from sleep by a beeping noise nearby. He noticed the source was his communicator, as a bright light also emanated from it. Fox picked up the communicator and noticed he was being called by Peppy, quickly answering it.

"What is it Peppy? You just woke me up." he grumbled into the phone. The clock at the top notified him that the time was around 7 o'clock, and he wasn't pleased about this. Normally on weekends he liked to sleep in until around 9 o'clock. However, Peppy always woke up around 6, an age thing Fox supposed.

"Sorry about that, but I'm just excited. I have a surprise for you, and I'll show you it at the Great Fox!" He replied rather ecstatically. Whatever this 'surprise' was, it seemed good.

"Can't you just tell me now?" Fox asked. It seemed pointless for Peppy to call him this early to tell him something he would find out later in the day anyway.

"No. But, I can tell you that our problems of work may be solved from this." He hinted. 'S _olved? I wonder what he has for us..._ ' Fox wondered.

"So, you called just to tell me that you have a surprise for me, yet you can't tell me yet? If that's the case, I'm going back to sleep for a while." Fox stated.

"Yes, that was all." Peppy answered back. Fox groaned, annoyed that he was awoken for nothing. He put the phone down and lay back down on his bed. He tried to fall asleep again, but his mind wouldn't let him. His mind was racing, thinking of several different things. The first being the surprise Peppy had. ' _What could he have what had him so worked up?_ '

His thoughts then drifted to Wolf. Fox dreaded that he would most likely have to explain why the Lylat systems most notorious criminal was on their battleship. Also, the interactions he would have with the Lupine would be less than pleasant. He still disliked that nutjob, and he had a feeling that it was mutual. Wolf would most likely spout off some insult, most likely resulting in Fox reacting to it, which in turn would further induce further arguments and insults being thrown.

The communicator to his right started creating loud noises again, this time in a different tone. Fox recognised this tone as his alarm so he wouldn't sleep for too long. "Ugh, it's already 9 o'clock?" he mumbled to himself. He slowly got up, walking to his bathroom to prepare for the day. Once he finished his daily routine: a quick shower, usually taking 5 minutes; he brushed his teeth, also not taking too long; and dried his fur, making sure that it doesn't stick up erratically.

He quickly got dressed in casual clothes. They didn't have a mission, so he didn't expect to have to wear his flight suit. Before he set off, he quickly grabbed his lucky red scarf and wrapped it around his neck. Fox never left without his red scarf, something which seemed to turn into a trademark accessory for him.

Outside the window, it was a fairly miserable day outside today. The sky was grey, covered in dark clouds. Fox made sure to bring an umbrella, for when it was inevitably going to rain. He set off on his journey to the space port.

Not many people were outside on the streets, and of those who were, they looked down focused on the paving in front of them. The journey to the Great Fox was always uneventful. On a rare occasion, people stopped him to talk to him, and almost every time asking for an autograph. Frequently, he had to decline as he never carried around a pen, which usually incited them to provide their own.

Sometimes, he didn't like being a celebrity. Sure, the publicity was good but nobody actually knew him. They all assumed he was some hero, capable of beating anybody, but in truth he felt he was only an above average pilot. Falco was far superior in skill, but it seemed that luck was always on Fox's side. This was why the majority of the fame went to him, shadowing the rest of his team. They still were popular, but he had never known anybody to ask them for an autograph.

Suddenly, Fox felt a moist sensation on the tip of his snout. He looked up and noticed that it had started to rain, rising in speed fast. He got out his umbrella and put it up, continuing the walk unfazed, not knowing of who was behind him. Footsteps got louder until suddenly, he heard a low, gruff voice call out to him.

"Fox!" the voice called. He turned around to face the person, to come face-to-face with Wolf. "I hoped I would find you on the way, I have no clue where the space port is."

"I guess you can follow me." Fox replied disinterested. He continued walking again, leaving Wolf still in the rain. Looking back at him, Fox felt slightly sorry for him. "Here..." he begrudgingly held out his umbrella so both he and Wolf were protected from the rain.

"Thanks..." he mumbled in recognition. Little was said between the two after that, until they got close to the space port. "So Fox, what do you think your team are going to say once they find out I'm on the team?" He asked.

"Personally, I have no idea. Only Krystal knows and she doesn't seem too outraged by it." He replied. "However, the other two probably won't be so pleased." Fox added.

"They probably hate me... And if they do, fuck 'em. Not my problem." he told Fox. Fox was slightly annoyed by his tone of voice, and how he thought he was superior to them.

"It will be a problem if they refuse to work with you." stated Fox. "I'd rather not have internal conflict in the team."

"I won't be the one causing trouble. I couldn't care less for who they are, or what they think of me. But if they do start trouble, don't expect me to take it lying down."

"If something turns out bad, you know you would be the first to go, right?" Fox told him. Although he didn't want him to go, as they would have less pilots, he felt he would have to. It was the easiest option to solve the problem.

"Glad to know I'm so expendable." Wolf huffed indignantly. Their conversation ended on this note, a cold silence between the two. As they entered the port, Fox flicked his umbrella to get the water off of it before he put it away. Wolf distanced himself further from Fox and they walked into the docking bay of the Great Fox. They were slightly late on the usual meeting time, 12 minutes to be precise, but the others wouldn't be too bothered about it. They walked past the three Arwings currently docked in the carrier.

Fox walked further ahead compared to Wolf as he led him into the Great Fox. They both walked into the elevator and Wolf shut the door. A button was pressed by Fox, and the elevator started to ascend. The two stayed silent as they moved to the recreational room. The elevator stopped rather abruptly and the doors in front of the two slid open with all of the team looking at them, _and Katt_? Fox's face of confusion was almost mirrored onto the rest of the team other than Krystal. They walked out of the elevator and into the room with the other four.

Slippy spoke up first. "Fox, what's he doing here?" He said, his voice wavering. Slippy was clearly afraid of Wolf, and Fox couldn't blame him. Several years of being opposed to his team and suddenly he's on the Great Fox. "Wouldn't it be the best idea if he wasn't on here? That way he couldn't cause problems."

"It's a long story... Long story short, meet our replacement for Falco." Fox informed them. Peppy, Slippy and Katt's eyes all shot open, surprised by this. "Also, I could ask the same question about her." Fox looked in Katt's direction.

"Well Fox... That was my surprise," Peppy started "I asked her to join the team since we were lacking in pilots." ' _Ugh, how didn't I think of that? It was so obvious'_ Fox mentally scolded himself.

"I met with Peppy yesterday on the streets, and as soon as Peppy told me what happened to Falco, I felt so sorry for him. He then went on about how you had been lacking on jobs due to it, and I offered to take his place, since I've helped the team before. He accepted and, well, here I am." Katt told him. ' _So she offered to join the team. Figures, she always wanted to join and it was the perfect opportunity for her._ '

"I guess I'm redundant then." Wolf said "I'll just be going now" He turned to leave, opening the elevator.

"Wait, Wolf! You don't have to go. There's no harm in having extra pilots." Krystal told him. The others seemed surprised that she wanted Wolf to stay.

"Fox seems to disagree," Wolf replied, turning back to face the group, "I'm disposable, right Fox?". ' _Ugh, Is he trying to guilt trip me for what I said?_ ' Fox thought.

"I didn't mean it like that." He said lowly.

"What did you say to him Fox?" Krystal asked.

"He was just telling me that if things to wrong, I'd be the first to go; and to me, this seems as if this wasn't according to plan."

"This isn't what I meant!" Fox snapped back. He was getting fed up with Wolf trying to guilt him. "You're staying on the team regardless, Pepper already assigned you to this team and I doubt you'd want to leave for a boring life."

"This was Peppers idea? Last time I checked, he hated Wolf after what he did in the Lylat wars." Peppy inquired.

"I was confused to start with, but it will be for the best." Krystal said. "Not only will he be on our side, so he wouldn't want to cause trouble, but he's also a good pilot. You've all seen his skills in flight."

"As long as he doesn't hurt me, I don't care if he joins." Slippy quivered. He didn't like the idea of Wolf joining the team, but if he was safe from him it was manageable.

"Personally, I don't trust Wolf." Peppy turned to face Wolf, but then looked back at Fox. "But, I do trust you Fox. If you think Wolf should be on the team, then I will support you."

"Hmph, not like my opinion matters any more but I don't want him here, for reasons that he almost destroyed the system." Katt glared at Wolf. "And if he causes any trouble, I can personally handle it. I'm actually surprised you wanted him to join the team, since you've been gunning at each other for years, he doesn't seem like the most trustworthy person." Wolf growled at this, mumbling something inaudible and turning away from her.

"Another thing also popped up Fox. Pepper said that he has a job for us, something about taking care of some pirates hovering around Fichina." Pepper informed Fox. ' _Fichina? Sounds like a strange planet for pirates to be around. There's hardly anything over there other than the weather generator and a few bases._ '

"Why would they be at Fichina? What do they plan on doing over there?" Fox asked. It made no sense why they would choose that planet to locate themselves, since there are many others which were much more ideal.

"That, we don't know. All we know is that they are located by the Fichina base Epsilon. Pepper wants us to get them away from the area or if necessary, take them out."

"Do we even have enough fighters?" Slippy added. "Sure, we have more pilots but did anybody think about what they were going to pilot?"

"I have my catspaw in a warehouse on Corneria. I can go and get it and dock in the air." Katt told them.

"The military took my Wolfen II when I went to jail. By now, it's probably outdated, if it still works." Wolf looked discontent with this.

"We can just get Pepper to give us your wolfen back since you're free, and maybe get Space Dynamics to help with it, giving it some upgrades." Fox said. "I guess that solves the problem of the crafts. We should start heading to Fichina if we're going to stop the pirates doing something."

"I can't get my Wolfen until tomorrow. And like you said, it might have to be upgraded." Wolf said.

"Well then, we meet tomorrow early to prepare for launch. Make sure you're in the air for 9 A.M. Katt so you can dock." Fox told them. "You can all go now."

Katt, Peppy and Slippy all walked out of the room into the elevator, leaving Fox, Wolf and Krytal together. "So, no tour? What kind of tour guide are you?" Wolf asked snarkily. ' _Gods, he can be so obnoxious_ ' Fox thought to himself.

"I can do it if you'd like. Show you the basics, and the spare rooms which you could claim." Krystal chipped in rather cheerfully.

"It's fine Krystal, I'll do it. You shouldn't have to do it, go ahead and leave." Fox seemed hesitant to say it, but he knew that he should be the one to show him around, since he knew the most about the Great Fox.

"I'll probably stay here tonight anyway. I usually like to sleep on the Great Fox before a mission. If you need me, I'll probably either be in my room or the kitchen." She said as she walked out of the room and turned left.

"Let's get started then." Fox said as he started walking in the opposite direction to Krystal. Wolf followed him into the next room. "This is the kitchen. There are all kinds of food in the fridge, so there will always be something to eat. The plates are in the cupboards above the oven." Fox informed him. "The cereals are on top." Fox then turned around and left through the way he came.

He then went through the same door Krystal left to, turning right. Wolf followed suit, staying behind Fox. Their boots clanged on the hard metal floor of the Great Fox's corridors, echoing. The halls were wide, giving a lot of space to move.

A door opened to his left, showing them the main control center. ROB was located to the right of the main seat, and there were another eight seats in the room. "Welcome to the main control center. The seat in the center is mine, as was probably obvious." There were 4 seats on the each side of the main seat. "The one furthest on the left is Slippy's station, and the second on the right is Peppy's, then Krystal's. You can choose whichever station you want. The ship was designed for nine people. My dad had big ambitions for the team, but we never ended up having more than five."

Fox started walking out of the room, indicating he was done. The two continued their way down the hall. "Many of these rooms are not really needed to know. You're free to explore later if you want." Fox told him.

"Right." Wolf said disinterested. Fox didn't even think he was paying attention, and he would probably forget all of this tomorrow. They reached the end of the corridor, where a large white door was located.

"Here is is the med bay. This is whe-" Fox was cut off by Wolf.

"I know what a med bay is for. You say it as if I've never been on a battleship before." Wolf cut him off. Most of the time, Fox couldn't stand staying with Wolf, so he hurried along the tour so he could go. He left the room and Wolf followed in pursuit. They passed by the recreational room and kept walking.

"This corridor has all of the living quarters." The doors all had a holopad, showing who the room belonged to. "Feel free to take any of the unoccupied rooms. The room on the end of the corridor is mine, just so you know."

Wolf made a 'hm' noise in recognition. "Anything else I need to know?" He asked. There were few other things he had to show, but he really didn't have the energy to continue with him.

"Nah, there's nothing else really." Fox told him. "I guess this is it, see ya" He started walking to his room on the ship. Normally, he would go back home, but he felt too fatigued to walk back. As soon as he walked into his room, he fell onto his bed, sleep consuming him quickly.

* * *

"Hmph, so much for a tour. I could have probably figured this all out anyway." Wolf grumbled as he walked to one of the rooms. He quickly put his name on the holopad and walked in. The room itself was larger than the ones the rest of his team had on the Lone Wolf, but smaller than his room. Inside, he noticed a wardrobe and a door next to it. Curious, he walked through the door and noticed there was a toilet and shower in the room.

Wolf sat on his bed, noticing it was actually comfortable. Most carriers had floors softer than their beds, so to Wolf this was surprising. However, the pillows were practically rocks, hurting his head when he lay on the bed. He silently vowed to himself to buy new pillows before they set off for Fichina. He took out his communicator from his pocket and looked for Pepper's phone number. After finding it, he took no time in calling.

A few seconds later, Pepper answered. "What do you want Wolf? I need to go to a meeting soon."

"I was wondering, since you took my Wolfen, can I have it back?" He asked as polite as he could, which still wasn't very polite.

"Why do you need it back?" Pepper asked.

"We're setting off on a mission tomorrow, the one that _you_ gave us, and I can't do anything without it." He replied. He felt like it was obvious that he wanted the fighter for that reason, and Pepper shouldn't have even needed to ask.

"Oh right, sorry. Yes you can have your ship back. Is that all you called me for?" Pepper asked.

"One more thing. The Wolfen is probably outdated by now, could you send it to Space Dynamics to see if it can be updated?" He asked. He knew if he could upgrade his jet it would be extremely beneficial, since before it was built on a low budget.

"Asking for a bit much, O'Donnell." Pepper replied. The costs for upgrading it could be high, and he would have to pay for it.

"I need it upgrading for this job to be done efficiently. If it's a financial problem, I can pay you back once I get the money, but right now I'm broke." Since the money came from Corneria for the mission, and not Pepper, it was a good way to pay him back.

"Fine, I'll send it to them. Are we done here?" Pepper started to get impatient with Wolf asking for all this. If this continued, he would be late for his meeting.

"Can you send the Wolfen to the Great Fox before 9 A.M. tomorrow? That's when we're planning on setting off to Fichina. That's all."

"All right. Expect the ship in the docking bay for tomorrow. Goodbye, O'Donnell." Pepper said as he quickly put the phone down. Wolf put his phone to the side and sighed. He wasn't used to this 'Asking for stuff' sort of deal. Throughout his life, he had to fend for himself and it seemed like a foreign concept to ask for things.

He lay down on the bed, planning on having a quick nap before heading home. He struggled with falling asleep, mainly because of how uncomfortable the pillow was. Eventually, darkness shrouded him and he lost consciousness.

* * *

 **End note:**

I know that the words I used in this chapter may seem repetitive, as finding ways to switch up how people say things is hard. Also, I used the word 'ship' a lot too, but I couldn't find a better way of saying what it was, or many alternatives. Sorry if the chapter was also kind of rushed, since I wanted to get it out before the end of the week. Until next time.


	5. Chapter 5: Resolve

**Authors note:**

I am sorry for the HUGE delay from last update to this one, I'm just not finding much time to add to this story but like I said, I'm not stopping writing it. With that said, the story continues.

* * *

Chapter 5: Resolve

 _Another punch was hurled at the wolf child, throwing him back. He couldn't last much longer with this assault. Waiting for the opportune moment, the lupine saw when the next fist was coming and rolled to the side. Not anticipating this, the father punched the ground, hurting his fist in the process. "You little shit!" He roared._

 _The wolf child staggered onto his feet and ran for the door as fast as his legs could carry him. He could hear the noises of his father chasing him, but that only fueled the adrenaline in his body. Grabbing onto the door, the child flung open the door and continued his escape. Many of the residents on the streets were surprised to see him running down the street, seeing the door behind him slam shut._

 _Mindlessly, the child continued running away, not knowing or caring where he was going as long as it was away from that house. The rain began to pour from the skies, soaking the lupine. He quickly found a bridge and hid under it, cowering in the corner. He couldn't control the tears running from his eyes, or the muffled cries and whimpers. He thought he heard footsteps nearby approaching him._

 _"Hey."_

* * *

Fox woke up with a start. He could have swore he heard a shout coming from the ship. Already dressed, he stood up and grabbed his blaster, just in case. After the nap, Fox was feeling refreshed. Walking down the corridor he could hear muffled noises which sounded like, cries? He wasn't sure, but it didn't sound good. Continuing, he noticed the noises were coming from Wolf's room. Confused, he opened the door to Wolf's room. Normally he wouldn't just walk into somebodies room unannounced, but he didn't know what else to do.

The sight in front of Fox shocked him. In his bed, he saw Wolf shaking, talking in his sleep. "Wolf! Get up!" He ran to the bed and shook the lupine, waking him up. Wolf shot up from his bed, sweating.

"F-Fox?" Wolf had no clue why Fox was in his room, but he knew that he didn't like it. "What the hell are you doing in here? Were you watching me sleep? You creep!" Wolf accused. He knew Fox could tell he was scared, so he quickly turned on the vulpine, masking his fear.

"What? No. You were shouting in your sleep, what the hell were you dreaming about? You woke me up from across the corridor with your shouting."

"Shouting? What the hell are you talking about? Is that the best excuse you could think of?" Wolf knew he talked in his sleep, sometimes shouting, as his old team noticed his behaviour, often mocking him. It wasn't too frequent but it occasionally turned very bad.

"Yes shouting. Don't you turn this on me, I've done nothing! I can't believe you think I would have nothing better to do than watch you sleep." Fox couldn't believe he was being accused of this by Wolf. He came in trying to help, and what did he get in return? Nothing apart from being shouted at.

"Get the hell out of my room!" Wolf roared. Fox quickly left the room, huffing in anger. He couldn't stand him, no matter what he did Wolf would always return it with negativity.

' _Why do I even bother._ ' He stomped down the corridor in his rage, on his way to the exit. ' _Why do I let him get to me?_ '

Krystal sat at the table in the kitchen, reading a newspaper. She sensed Fox walking towards her, noticing his bad temper. She quickly stood up and left the kitchen, stopping the vulpine in his tracks. "Fox, what's wrong?" Her voice gently asked.

"Wolf! He's what's wrong!" He shot back, walking past her on his way to the exit. Krystal quickly turned and grabbed his arm, stopping him again.

"Care to tell me what he's done?" She kept her voice calm, trying to soothe Fox's nerves. He sighed and turned to face her.

"Wolf woke me up with his stupid shouting down the corridor, so I went to check on him. After waking him up asking what was wrong, he quickly began shouting at me, accusing me of watching him sleep. So now, he thinks I'm a creep or something. He always manages to find a way to incriminate me for no reason! I can't stand him!" His speaking was fast, letting all his anger out at once.

"Shouting you say? That doesn't sound like something he would do. Do you know what he was shouting about?" She replied.

"I don't know, and I don't care any more. I'm done with that insufferable prick." She didn't know why Fox was so angry about it, normally somebody else would just dismiss it as a misconception and be done with it, but Fox seemed genuinely annoyed.

"I'll go talk to him if you want, see what it was about." Krystal let go of Fox's arm and started walking to the door.

"Good luck to you. I'm out of here." Fox started walking to the exit again.

"Fox! Stay here! I'm going to settle this now, I'm not having you angry at him and vice versa during the mission." She said sternly.

"Hah. I'll be seeing you walking out of there in 5 minutes. You won't be able to stand him." Fox shouted at her as she began walking down the corridor. Fox turned and entered the kitchen sitting on the same seat Krystal was previously on. He sighed and picked up the newspaper she was previously reading.

Krystal ignored his comment and quickly made it to the door to Wolf's room. Knocking gently at first, she heard ruffling at the other side of the door.

"Get the hell away!" Wolf shouted from in his room. She knew he was angry, since that's the only emotion Wolf seemed to feel, but there was something else. It seemed foreign from Wolf. Was it fear? ' _From Wolf? Something must be wrong._ ' She thought as she knocked at the door again.

"Wolf, I'm coming in whether you like it or not. Now you can either open the door now or I'm going to get Fox to open the door, and you don't want him here right now." She told him. More shuffling was heard behind the door until it slid open.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" Wolf asked as he went to sit back down on his bed. Krystal entered his room and shut the door, leaning on the wall next to it.

"It's about Fox," Krystal started "mind telling me what happened? He's extremely angry, and I would rather not have you both at each others throats during the mission." A scowl formed on Wolf's muzzle, turning to face Krystal.

"You heard it from him, right? What's the point in asking me?" Krystal wondered why he was being so stand-offish.

"I want both sides of the story."

"Fine... I woke up this morning to see Fox in my room, staring at me, so I told him to get the hell out. Like hell I wanted some creep to stay in my room." Although he seemed confident in his words, Krystal could tell he was lying.

"That's different to what I heard. You were supposedly shouting in your sleep, which made Fox wake up. He wanted to know what was wrong, but you threw him out." She calmly stated.

"And you're going to believe him? Of course you would." Wolf turned away from her, looking outside of his window.

"Wolf, I know you're lying to me. Maybe if you told me what you were dreaming about, it could help. I'm not here to scold you, I just want to help." The phrase 'I just want to help' sounding familiar to him. Thinking back upon the dream, a feeling of dread washed over Wolf. He continued to stare out of the window, looking as if he found something interesting, focusing on it.

"It's nothing" Krystal could sense the fear on him now, and she started to feel concerned for him.

"Wolf..." Krystal crossed her arms, looking at him.

"Okay, so... Maybe I was shouting in my dreams" He stated lowly.

"Would you mind telling me what you were shouting about?"

"Just, childhood memories, is all... Nothing wrong." He murmured, more to himself than Krystal.

"Nothing wrong? You just admitted you were shouting. That doesn't sound like 'Nothing wrong' to me."

"Hmph." Wolf turned away to look at the wall.

"Look, I'm not going to force it out of you, but like I said before, all I want to do is help."

"Okay," He growled "but if you tell anybody about anything I say, you're done. Got it?"

"I wouldn't do that Wolf. What you tell people is yours to tell." She smiled, finally managing to get through to Wolf.

Wolf recounted his dream to Krystal, missing out little details. As he told her the story, her facial expression changed to a more sorry look. Wolf had no idea where the dream ended, so he continued talking about the event from memory.

" _Hey"_

 _At first, he didn't hear him over the rain. He continued whimpering, his head between his knees._

" _Hello, are you okay?" The lupine looked up at the man in front of him. He couldn't tell much of what he looked like in the darkness, but he could tell by his scent that he was a vulpine. He also noticed he was holding an umbrella close._

" _Go away." The wolf said, his voice quiet. He didn't want to talk to anybody, he just wanted to fall asleep._

" _Sorry, can't do that." He started. "You don't seem too happy." His voice radiated concern._

" _I said... Go... Away." He tried to growl it out, but it came out as a whimper. "I have nothing to tell you."_

" _I just want to help. A child left outside on a rainy night isn't something I can just walk away from." The fox approached the child, stopping in front of him._

" _I ran away from home. My dad was angry at me, and I didn't want to stay." The child told him. "And now I don't want to go back, he'll probably be even more mad!" The wolf was shivering uncontrollably, the cold seeping into him._

" _Are you sure he's mad at you? If I was him, I would be worried sick." He told him. Although he seemed convinced on this, the child was certain he would be mad. The lupine stayed silent, looking out from under the bridge, seeing the rain pour down heavily._

" _Well, listen. My wife and son are out of town for the weekend and, how would you like to come with me back home? I wouldn't feel right leaving you out in the cold, especially since you're around the same age as my son. I could get you a warm bed and a change of clothes if you want." The vulpine offered, holding his hand out._

" _You... You mean it?"_

" _Of course. Tomorrow morning I can take you back to your house, I'm sure your father will be worried sick about you." The child grabbed his hand and the vulpine hoisted him onto his feet. The two started walking out into the rain, and the wolf got close to the fox, trying to avoid the rain. The vulpine held the umbrella closer to the wolf to shield him. They silently walked down the street, the only noise heard was the rain and an occasional car driving by._

" _M-Mister." The child started._

" _Yes?"_

" _What's your name?"_

" _James."_

"James? As in, _the_ James McCloud?" Krystal interrupted him.

Wolf sighed. "Yeah, that was the first time I ever met him, but wasn't the last."

"So, when was the last time you met him?" She asked.

"Venom..." his tone was quiet.

"Venom?"

"It was the time when Star Fox first attacked the base on Venom. I avoided getting shot by him and his team, but in the end he fell." Wolf visibly flinched. "I called my mercenary team Star Wolf because of the respect I had for James. He was the first, and only, person to be kind to me. Once I found out about the 'James' who took me in on that night, I was stunned. I had no idea he was that important."

"What ended up happening to James?" She wanted to hear about the story first hand, from someone who was there. "We all thought you were the one to shoot him down."

"It was Pigma. The swine betrayed him and shot a smart bomb directly at James. Since he wasn't expecting the shot, he had no time to avoid it. The bomb engulfed his ship, making his engines fail, and he crashed." Wolf regarded Pigma with contempt, angry at him. "The only reason he joined Star Wolf was because of Andross. He knew Pigma was a decent pilot, and he threw him onto us. If it wasn't for Andross, I would have gutted him the first moment I could."

"Oh." Silence followed after Krystal saying this. The two stayed still, not wanting to say anything else. Suddenly, Krystal remembered why she came into the room in the first place.

"Now you've told me this, could you please apologise to Fox?"

"Me, apologise? You must not know me well." Wolf stated

"You've pretty much just admitted that it was your fault that Fox is angry. Why can't you just apologise and get this over with?"

"I have nothing to apologise for. It's his fault for taking it out of proportion."

"Nothing to apologise for? So you won't apologise for shouting at him? Insulting him? He doesn't deserve this and you know it." She was starting to get annoyed at his attitude. "I promise you, it will all be for the better. You can't stay angry at each other all the time."

"Who said I'm angry at him?"

"If you're not angry at him, why can't you just apologise?" Wolf turned away. "It's either you say you're sorry, or I tell him about what you just told me."

"Wait what? You said you wouldn't tell." She knew he was getting worried now, but in truth she wasn't going to tell regardless.

"Okay, I'm lying. I won't tell him, but please? For me?" She pleaded with him. Wolf mulled over the thought of apologising with Fox, thinking about the benefits and the things bad about it. In truth, there wasn't really anything bad about apologising with him.

"Fine, I'll apologise." Wolf finally accepted, sighing in resignation.

"Good!" Krystal added cheerfully. She stopped leaning on the wall and opened the door, with Wolf following behind. The two were quiet while walking down the corridor, making their way to the kitchen.

The two stood at the entrance, waiting. Once they realised Fox hadn't seen them, Krystal called out to him. "Fox!". The vulpine quickly looked up, noticing who was with Krystal. "I have somebody with me who has something to say to you."

"Do you now? What does he have to say to me, is it more insults perhaps?" Fox snarkily said, looking over to Wolf.

"Go ahead." Krystal nudged him.

"I'm sorry." Wolf muttered quietly.

"What was that?" Fox replied

"I'm sorry." He said clearer. "For shouting at you, for insulting you, for throwing you out of my room." Wolf listed all of the things he did wrong to Fox of what he could remember.

"And..."

"And what? I said everything I've done." Wolf was confused.

"For calling me pup." Fox added.

"You want me to apologise for calling you pup? What the hell?" ' _Is he really that childish?_ ' Wolf thought.

"I'm not accepting your apology until you say it." he stated with an air of finality.

"Ugh... Sorry for calling you pup."

"Thank you. Apology accepted." Fox grinned, walking closer to the two. "Now that this is sorted, I'm off out for some food, then I'm probably going to head home. Care to join?" Fox offered. Honestly, he didn't want to go out to get something to eat on his own.

"Sure." Krystal replied quickly. "I haven't eaten anything yet anyway."

The two started walking towards the elevator, Fox whispering to Krystal. " _How'd you manage to do it?_ "

" _Magic"_ she replied as she smiled. She looked over her shoulder at Wolf expectantly. "You coming?". He seemed somewhat thrown off by this offer.

"I guess, I have nothing else to do anyway." He quickly followed them and the three left The Great Fox.

"You guys know any places in particular you want to go to?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, there's a place I know somewhat near. It's called 'The Lylat Star', they have all kinds of food." Krystal informed them.

"I've heard of that place I think. I've also heard that they do a great steak." Wolf said.

The walk to the restaurant was short, the three making small talk with each other. Over the course of the meal, Fox started to realise that he and Wolf actually had similar interests and the same sense of humour. There wasn't much he knew about the mysterious lupine, but he enjoyed his company. He wondered if he was being civil just because Krystal was there, but quickly dismissed the thought.

Wolf on the other hand, didn't have as good of a time as the other two. Mainly because he wasn't used to the whole 'go out for a meal and talk with other people' sort of deal. He was mostly on his own, so it seemed strange to him. Regardless, he still tried to be involved in the conversations and found out it wasn't as hard as he thought it was.

After the meal, the two stood outside the restaurant, noticing the sun setting, casting an orange glow across the horizon. "Well, it's been fun," Krystal started "we should do this another time."

"Yeah, we should." Fox added. He didn't want to go home just yet, as he enjoyed the company of Wolf and Krystal. The thought of returning home to a lonely house didn't appeal to him. The three stood next to each other, marvelling at the glory of the sun. The glow on the skyscrapers in front of them almost seemed ethereal.

"Well, I ought to be gone. I'll see you tomorrow." Wolf turned to both of them and smiled.

"Goodbye Wolf, and you too Fox" Krystal said she started walking away, back to The Great Fox.

Fox waved to Krystal as she left, but strangely Wolf stayed with him. Fox turned to him, confused. "I thought you were going?"

"I was. I just wanted to say..." Wolf looked as if he was having trouble making up the next sentence. "Thank you."

"For?"

"For letting me come with you, even after me being a jerk this morning. This was the first time I've ever really spent time with other people and, it was fun."

"Oh, it's no problem." Fox smiled back at Wolf.

"Bye, Fox." The two shook hands and turned away from each other, walking to their respective homes. Although Fox didn't want to admit it, he hoped that they could become friends, slowly patching their tattered pasts.

* * *

 **End note:**

Like I said, I'm really sorry for this huge delay on this update. I've recently started doing my AS level exams, and they're still not over yet so the delay for the next update will also be long, but hopefully not as long.

I've also thought of writing a new story focusing more on a romance aspect of Fox and Wolf and changing the pairing on this story to just friendship. I could still keep both stories with the romance aspect, but tell me what you guys think. See you next time.


	6. Chapter 6: Mission

**Authors note:**

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have started writing a story, since I procrastinate far too much and now I'm starting my A2 course. Oh well..

* * *

Chapter 6: Mission

The space port door whirred open. Wolf never got a chance to see the other ships docked there, since Fox was in such a rush to get into the Great Fox. There were many other carriers inactive, probably decommissioned. One ship stood out from the rest though, a ship slightly smaller than The Great Fox. It had short, antenna like protrusions along the sides and on top, which seemed strange to him. On the side it read 'MV-Cruiser402'. ' _MV? Haven't heard of that before.'_

When reaching the Great Fox, he noticed the hangar door had been left open. ' _Guess somebody's already in._ '. Looking at the fighters docked, he noticed his Wolfen, alongside what he could only assume was the Catspaw. His ship looked completely different, resembling more of an Arwing than his original Wolfen. The red on the wings of the ship were also painted over blue. He also noticed the plasma burn on the side of his ship, next to his cockpit, noting that they didn't change the hull. Plasma burns were impossible to remove from a ship without changing the exterior plates, but could still be repaired.

Stepping into the elevator, he pondered on what the assignment was. It wasn't a normal thing for pirates to orbit planets, Fichina especially, so something was up. Wolf could hear a commotion further in the ship, most likely in the bridge. Deciding to follow the noise, the voices inside were becoming more distinct the closer he got.

"Can't we just go already? We're all here." A female voice said, huffing.

"Well no, we're not all here. If you hadn't noticed, Wolf isn't here." A different voice sounded.

"Who cares, he'll probably just slow us down anyway, maybe even sabotage the mission." He assumed this was Katt by now.

Walking through the doorway, everybody turned to face Wolf, staring at him. "You're late." Katt remarked, turning to look out of the window,

"Last time I checked, I should be here for 11. It's still 15 minutes until then, so shut up." He replied.

"Quiet, both of you. Now we're all here, we can prepare for take off." Fox said, turning to Peppy. "You ready to get this thing up in the air?".

"Sure thing Fox." Peppy walked over to his seat, starting the flight procedures. "This is Peppy Hare from the Great Fox, requesting permission to take off." He asked into his headset.

"Permission granted." Someone replied. The roof slowly opened, bathing the other ships in the dock in sunlight. The ship slowly raised from its position until it was high in the sky. Suddenly, the ship lurched forward, and not being accustomed to this Wolf was knocked off balance, taking Fox with him to the floor.

"ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL: 1 HOUR, 12 MINUTES, 34 SECONDS." ROB's said monotonously.

Wolf slowly got up and dusted himself off, his shoulder hurting from the impact. "You could have warned me that was going to happen, I could've taken someone out from that!" He exclaimed.

"You did!" Fox shouted up at him. Suddenly, Wolf looked at him guiltily and held out his hand.

"Sorry..." He pulled Fox up from the floor a bit too hard, making Fox tumble into him slightly.

"Thanks."

"Well, we've got another hour or so until we get there, so I'm going to go get something to eat. You coming with?" Katt said, looking expectantly at the others.

"Sure I'll come." Slippy chimed in. Peppy nodded alongside him.

"I've already had something to eat, so I'll stay here." Krystal said. Fox also shook his head, resulting in the three of them starting to file out the room. She didn't check for Wolf's response simply because she didn't care. "Just to think, If we set off an hour ago like I wanted to, we would have been there by now." She snidely said as she was leaving.

"Katt!" Fox warned, but it fell on deaf ears as they had already gone. "I don't know what's gotten into her, during the Lylat wars she was so carefree but now she's..." Fox trailed off

"A bitch?" Wolf filled in the blank, resulting in Fox turning to look him.

"Don't you start. I don't want you two fighting constantly, it's already getting old."

"What she can't hear can't hurt her."

"I don't care. This has to stop. You have to learn to be civil with eachother."

"I am being civil, how about you ask her? I wasn't the one spouting off."

"I'm sure she'll get used to you, and you'll become friends. From what I've seen she's a bit rough around the edges, but once you know her she's one of the most caring people you could know." Krystal added. "I've seen how she acts with Falco."

"Sure, and I can fly." Wolf said as he left the room, leaving the other two alone.

* * *

The Great Fox orbited the base above the Fichinian atmosphere. The perpetual blizzard raging on Fichina seemed to be more fervent, the clouds forming in a cyclone shape.

"NOW ARRIVING IN FICHINA AIRSPACE. ALL CREW TO THE BRIDGE." The blasted through Wolf's room, startling him. Heart racing, he left the room and walked down the corridor. He still wasn't too sure about the mission, mainly because it was so odd.

"That's all of us. Okay, what's the game plan Fox?" Krystal asked.

"Well, we're not really going to need us all to investigate the base, only around 2 I would say. Any volunteers?" Fox looked at the faces in the room, stopping on Wolf. "It would probably be a good idea for you to go Wolf, since you're the most adapted to the climate." This resulted in a glare back to Fox.

"I don't want to go down there. Why can't Katt go?"

"Me? Fat chance! Cold and me don't go well together. Just suck it up"

"I would also rather stay on board, Fox." Krystal added.

"Well, I'd want Peppy and Slippy on board, since they know the ship the best, but that leaves... Me and Wolf." Fox said sighing. "I guess it's decided. Come on, Wolf." Fox lead onward, Wolf hesitantly following after him.

"Let's just get this over and done with. I don't want to stay down there for longer than I have to." Wolf said as he caught up to him. "I don't exactly have good memories about this place..."

"I wonder why."

"Hey, It's your fault! By the time they got me out from there, my fingers had nearly frozen off."

"You were the one who came in guns blazing. Did you expect me to just leave you to kill us?"

"Hmph." Wolf looked forward, ending their conversation. ' _I guess he does have a point._ ' The two continued in silence up until they were both in their ships.

"I guess you're right." Wolf started.

"What?"

"About what you said earlier. It probably was a good thing you took me down in the end, I would have dreaded to see this system run by Andross." Fox smiled at this comment, thinking Wolf wasn't as bad as he thought he was. ' _Atleast he still has morals._ '

It wasn't often that Wolf got introspective on events, but sometimes he couldn't help it. Only recently had he thought on his past life, and how much he wished he could change it, but it was impossible. So now, he surmised, he should try and make his future different, as he can control that.

"You ready?" Fox butted into his thoughts, catching Wolf off guard.

"Yeah sure, lets go."

The two ships blasted out of the hangar, a red and blue trail left in their wake. Their journey through the atmosphere was fast, and soon they were under the clouds. The storm wasn't as strong at the troposphere, but that didn't stop the cold.

"Something seems wrong here Fox."

"How so?"

"Weren't we told that pirates were hovering around Fichina? Because I'm noticing a distinct lack of Pirates..."

"Maybe they left, or went into hiding. There's no point in turning back now."

"Yeah, there's no point in turning back now, Fox." Another voice sounded through his headset, with a nasally tone.

"Wait-"

"That's right, Star Fox! You thought you saw the last of us?" Leon's face popped up on his visual, his scales taking a slightly bluer tone.

"You again? So you're the ones causing trouble, I should have known!" Fox shouted through his headset, his rage evident.

"Looks like you've got a new friend. What a hero, picking up a little Star-pup and taking him under your wing, how heroic."

"Shut your mouth Gekko before I rip you limb from limb!" Wolf snarled into the mic, baring his teeth.

"Oh dear, I'm so scared." He cackled, getting on both of their nerves. "How unfortunate that you came, though. It seems that you're already too late." His cackling continued.

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"We've already collected what we needed, so there's no point in being here. At least you tried though, unfortunately you were too slow." His laughter didn't stop.

"You're going down!." Wolf could hardly control his anger.

"I don't think so, you see... You've already walked straight into our hands. You're done, Star Fox." His laughter seized, taking on a menacing glare. "Remember what you did to us the first time we were here? How about we repay the favour?"

"We?" Suddenly, two other red dots appeared on Wolf's radar, seemingly out of nowhere. ' _How did they hide their ship signals?_ '

"Indeed." Panther purred into his headset. Now that the odds weren't in their favour, they had to escape, and only Wolf noticed this.

"Where did that come from?" Fox asked. His radar had not showed the other signals, possibly malfunctioning under the cold.

"Fox! We gotta get out of here!" Wolf shouted into his mic. "We're outnumbered, Panther and another ship are behind us!"

"Not so fast! We knew you would think of this, but sadly this means we can't take you out personally." Leon's face dropped. "Like I said, you were simply too slow." Suddenly, Fox's ship jolted to a stop, tilting and nose diving downwards. He looked out of his window, noticing Wolf's ship doing the same thing. "EMP bullets, so small you didn't even notice them. Goodbye, Star Fox." His cackling started again.

All Fox could see was white as his ship gained accelerated, and he panicked. Suddenly, he remembered he had an emergency battery pack for situations like these. He quickly set it up and sent a jolt through his ship, but he was already close to the floor. He pulled up on his joystick, trying to slow down. "Wolf! Use your energy pack, or eject! Do something!"

"Wh-" His voice cut out, and in the distance Fox could see Wolf's ship hit the ground.

"WOLF!" His ship continued at it's speed, slowly decelerating. However, he wasn't fast enough and his ship hit the ground, the damage being much less than what it could have been. His head banging, he got out of his ship, looking over at Wolf's ship. They had landed close to the base luckily.

In the sky, Leon cackled to the other members of his team. "That'll show them. Now they have no chance of stopping us."

"Are you sure? They could survive. We should probably go after them, make sure they're dead." Panther questioned.

"There's no chance they survived that. And even if they did, they won't survive down there for long. They'll freeze to death, stuck in their ship in the freezing cold." Leon sighed. "I wish I could have seen their face as I shot them out of the sky though..."

"Whatever you say, we should get going. We don't want to keep boss waiting." Panther added, turning to face the sky.

"Comeon." A different voice sounded, as the three of them left the atmosphere.

Fox ran to Wolf's ship, examining the damage to his ship. The glass of his cockpit had shattered, pieces of glass sticking out from his fur, his face mangled. He was unconscious, his breathing slow and laboured. Fox looked at him in pity, quickly grabbing him under his arms and lifting him out of the ship.

"Wolf! Come on, wake up! WOLF!" He shouted trying to wake up, to no effect. However, the cold did have an effect on them both, as Fox could feel Wolf shivering, and could also feel the chill on his skin. He put Wolf in his arms and carried him into the base, hiding from the cold. The base was small, and only little power ran through the base. Fortunately, the heating was still on, albeit slightly. It wasn't warm by all means, but it was better than out there.

He carried him into the corner of the room, where he laid Wolf on the floor. He looked for medical supplies, and found a med-kit. He walked over to the corner of the room and sat next to Wolf. He started pulling shards of glass which had pierced him, blood slowly pouring out. Fox quickly covered the cuts. One shard was dangerously close to his eye, any closer and he could have been blind in both eyes. Pulling this shard out incited a response from Wolf, howling in agony. This took Fox by surprise, looking at Wolf.

It seemed Wolf had gone into a stage of shock, not able to control his body. He quickly wrapped his arms around Fox and shook violently, whispering to himself. Fox tried to listen to what he was saying, but it was hard to tell what he was saying.

" _Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me..."_ He whispered on, repeating himself over and over. Fox had no idea what caused this, but grabbed Wolf, trying to console him. He slowly stroked his back, calming him down. He shaking slowed down, turning into more of a shiver.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you. You're not on your own. We're getting out of here." Fox whispered back, reassuring him. He wasn't even sure if Wolf could hear him at this stage, as he seemed to be in a world of his own. "You'll be okay."

Wolf continued to grasp onto Fox, and any slight movement to get out of his grip was futile, as he just grabbed harder. Fox sat there, with his right arm stroking Wolf's back and his left at an awkward angle, trying not to hug him. ' _At least like this, we won't lose as much heat._ ' Fox mused, stopping his stroking, as it seemed Wolf had fully calmed down. He was warm at least, the feeling almost pleasant to Fox, a huge contrast to the cold outside. ' _This feels good? What's wrong with me..._ '

Fox struggled to fall asleep, his heart racing, but eventually his exhaustion could not be stopped for long, and he lay on the floor in Wolf's arms.

* * *

 **End note:**

Strange reaction?

It's been a while since I updated, and I am sorry about that. I can't guarantee that the next chapter will be up soon, but I will at least try. I'm finding it hard to make time for writing this story between focusing on my work and socialising with my friends, but I will finish this, even if it isn't as good as I wanted it to be... Until next time.


	7. Chapter 7: Rescue

**Authors note:**

Long time no see. The reason I hadn't updated for so long was that I felt the story had major flaws in the story telling and continuing how I would ideally would want it to would mean rewriting that. Instead, I'll try finish this story as fast as I can and possibly start another.

* * *

Chapter 7: Rescue

"They've been gone an awful long time Peppy. I think we should go investigate" Krystal said, her voice ridden with worry.

"I'm sure they're fine, there wasn't anybody there when we looked..." Peppy turned to face her, looking in her eyes.

"Doesn't that make you worry more? If they're only scouting the base, you would think they would be done by now." She couldn't get the thought of something going wrong out of her mind.

"Do you know who's down there? There's _no_ way Fox of all people would be able to get taken down, even if it were only pirates. Wolf on the other hand, I don't care if anything happened to him." Katt added to the conversation. Sometimes, she really got on Krystal's nerves.

"Well if you're so sure, you can stay here, but I'm going down to see." Krystal turned to face Katt, glaring at her.

"There's no need for that Krystal, they will be back any minute now." Peppy tried to stop her, but this only made her more determined to go. Sometimes he didn't know what got into her, but she could be so stubborn that he had no idea how to deal with it.

"Tch, let her go. She'll see how stupid it was to go down for no reason. What a wasted effort." Katt snidely said.

Krystal quickly rushed down the halls of the ship to the hanger, where her ship awaited her. She quickly jumped in and prepared for launch. "Peppy, open the door." She asked

"Krystal, this is poin-"

"PEPPY! Let me go!" she almost screamed into her headset, startling the hare. He pressed the button, albeit reluctantly, and the hanger door opened. Her ship blasted out, speeding down to where Fox and Wolf were last seen entering the atmosphere. The cold instantly hit her, seeping into her bones. She tried to ignore this and kept going.

It was hard to see under the clouds in the blizzard, further increasing her worry. It wasn't until she saw a silver glint that she had no idea where she was going. Lowering to the ground, she looked at the state of the ship. Glass shattered, blood pooled in the cockpit, yet no Fox or Wolf. She noticed there was a trail in the snow of blood very faintly.

Without thinking, she followed this trail, running as fast as she could. Suddenly, she saw a small building in front of her, the blood leading to the door. She entered and took note of the lights being on. ' _At least there's still power in here..._ ' This slightly alleviated her worry.

Looking around the base, she noticed an orange mass in the corner. ' _Fox! Thank goodness_ '. It wasn't until she noticed the state he was in did she start to feel something again, this time it wasn't worry. She noticed Wolf's arms wrapped around him, and vice versa, cuddling in the corner. She didn't even look at their health, as she couldn't help but feel jealous. Fox had always tried to decline her advancements whenever possible, and now _he's_ going to do this and already get ahead of her? Not on her watch...

' _I'll just have to try that much harder._ '

"Fox!" She shouted, trying to wake him up. He shuffled slightly in his exhausted phase, taking in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was heat emanating from next to him, to which he pulled it in tighter and started muzzling it, trying to escape from the cold of the rest of the base. This only fueled her jealousy even more. "FOX!" Once again, trying to get his attention.

He opened his eyes to see a large wall of grey fur obscuring his vision. Wolf... Slowly things were coming back to him. But when he looked up, he noticed that he was still asleep, or at least he hoped he was. ' _Come to think of it, that voice sounded like..._ ' "K-Krystal?" He said groggily, still huddling to the warmth.

"Fox! Thank goodness you're okay. What happened here?" She tried to keep her voice as impartial as she could, but couldn't help let a smidgeon of jealousy in.

"W-we were ambushed. Star Wolf, they did it. I don't know what they wanted from the base, but they got it." He slowly started coming around, missing out details of the mission.

"And this?" She said inciting him to look behind him at her, noticing that she was gesturing towards them.

"O-oh..." His face suddenly had a red tinge to it, he hadn't noticed he was cuddling Wolf all this time. "Don't think anything of this." He tried to hide his face from her, but this just ended up in him hiding his face in his chest, further amplifying the red of his skin. "L-lets just get out of here, unless you want to check around."

"I mean, we ought to do our job and check, unlike _some_ of us." She looked over at him again.

"Just give me a few minuted to gain my bearings, then I'll help."

Krystal moved away, all worry she felt before had now turned to jealousy, and she couldn't stand it. This was the first time she had ever experienced this, which made it hurt all the more. There was a stabbing pain in her heart, bearable but noticeable. She searched around the base to try take her mind off of things. The base almost looked stripped bare, if it weren't for the documents and other miscellaneous equipment thrown around. Whatever they were looking for, it was hard to find.

As soon as the strength had to returned to Fox's bones, he started to try escape Wolf's grasp, to no avail. Every time he pulled away, he seemed to pull closer to Fox. "Uh, Krystal?" She turned over, seeing him in a half sitting state, ensnared by arms around him. "I don't think I'm going to be able to help search." As much as she felt jealous of this, she couldn't help but finding it amusing too. This made her think he wasn't intending on whatever happened, to which she slowly started chuckling lowly.

"Krystal?" His face made her chuckling amplify into a full blown laugh, meanwhile a blush crept up on Fox yet again, making his face glow. "It's not funny!" He tried to stop her, but she just kept going. This actually helped ease the pain of jealousy, and she slowly started to forget why she was in the first place.

"Well, from the state of things, I don't think we're going to be able to find anything noteworthy. How about we just head back to my ship?" Krystal said. It would be impossible to search the base for anything with it being in a state like this.

"But how do we deal with" he motioned his head towards Wolf "him?"

"You're just going to have to carry him."she giggled again.

"Arwings only have 2 seats..." he added.

"Well _I'm_ not sharing. I have to pilot the thing you know."

"But-"

"Suck it up, we're going." she said as she walked towards the door. Fox tried to turn around to pick up Wolf. Eventually, and with great difficulty, he succeeded. He had to hold him bridal style, with his arms still wrapped around his waist. "How cute." She added, and the red returned. She couldn't help but jab fun at this, it was _too good_. The three quickly moved back to Krystal's ship, the two males getting in first. "Comfortable?"

"Shut it." As much as Fox hated to admit it, it was like having his own fluffy, warm pillow. It was nice, if it weren't for the weight. Luckily, he was strong enough to handle it. "Just get going."

The ship slowly raised from the ground, Krystal having to take care of the wind. If she couldn't set off properly, it could take her and result in a crash. It went off without a hitch, taking a look back at them before setting off. Here, she saw Wolf muzzling against Fox, much to the latter's dismay. The ride back was agonising for Fox, half from the embarrassment of his ex-rival muzzling him and cuddling him in his sleep, half from the laughter from Krystal in the front. All he could wish for was for this to never happen ever again.

As the ship entered the docking bay, the rest of the crew acknowledged that only one ship had entered. As the three got out to go to the rest of the team, they were met halfway. "Krystal? Where are the other two? We only saw your ship return." Peppy said, his voice full of worry. He looked behind her to see the them, with Wolf in Fox's arms. "Fox?"

"No time for talking, we need to get Wolf to the med bay, I tried to stop the bleeding as much as I could but he still lost too much. He's not waking up." He said, as the group moved quickly there. He set him onto the bed, yet his arms still remained around him. "Also, he's not letting go of me, no matter how hard I try." He sighed, exasperated.

"You tried hurting him? You could break his arms, I'm sure that would do the job" Katt suggested. She just refused to be helpful in any situation it seemed.

"We can't do that, he's part of the team! And you should get that through your head of that, any more of this antagonism to him and I will personally kick you off, got it?" Fox snapped, looking straight at her.

"Why do you care, I thought you hated him? Protecting your boyfriend or something?" She snarkily said, which caused Fox to look away. With the scowl on his face, the others would look on him as if he was angry, but inside held a different story. He, too, was confused about why he was defending Wolf so fervently. His hate for the lupine faded around the second day they met, which had simmered to a mild annoyance. Even though he wanted to be friends with him, boyfriends? Impossible. He had no feelings for the Wolf whatsoever, so he had no idea where she was coming from. Plus, relationships had no place in a mercenaries work. But, having someone to hold him did feel nice, he felt safe, protected. But this was Wolf she was talking about, nothing would happen between them. However he was a good pilot, rivalling even the best in the system for his skills, which Fox found impressive. This also made him dangerous, he could turn on them any second and hurt them. But didn't Krystal say he had no intentions of hurting them? How much of that is true? If it's true, maybe he can trust him. Although he know he doesn't like males, so yet again her statement confused him. Thinking about it though, he never wanted to be alone, Fox wanted someone to call his own... Maybe that cou-

"Jeez, _sorry_ " Katt said, snapping him out of his thoughts. She turned and left the room, going elsewhere. Nobody knew, nor cared at this stage.

"Don't worry about her Fox, I'm sure she'll calm down." Peppy said, making Fox's scowl disappear.

"What are we going to do about him? I can't get out and I doubt I can get out without him waking up or violence..." Krystal in back of this still wore her smile, amused by the events occurring.

"Hm, as much as I hate to say it, while he recovers you're going to have to stay with him." This meant both Wolf _and_ Fox would be incapacitated, so if anything went wrong they were in big trouble. "I'll start to patch up his wounds and such, get him on life support, but that's about all I can do."

"Does that mean..." He trailed off, knowing it was inevitable.

"Unfortunately, yes. We'll set course back for Corneria. He doesn't look too bad so he should hopefully recover soon." Fox sighed and resigned to his fate. Over the course of the next hour, Wolf was patched up, blood cleaned off him, electronics attached to Wolf to monitor him. Everyone else left the room, leading to Fox and Wolf being alone, and eventually falling asleep. Fox eventually hugged him back, as otherwise he was strangely uncomfortable.

* * *

Hours later, Krystal decided to walk into the med bay to check up on them. She sat on a lone stool in the corner, watching the two sleep facing each other. The jealousy surged up in her again, but she couldn't help it. She had wished this had happened to her, how she could hold the vulpine close while she slept. They both looked so peaceful. Why couldn't she have this peace? It's almost as if Fox was oblivious to how she felt.

Almost...

Anyone else would just chalk it up to the person of their affections not knowing of it, but Krystal was not anyone else. Being a telepath she knew things, things others would otherwise not know. She would naturally know whether someone was oblivious to such things, or were actually avoiding it, and Fox was the latter. However, this didn't stop her. She knew Fox tried to avoid developing feelings for her, and liked how they currently were, but Krystal wanted more. So what hurt even more now, was that this was happening to Wolf. Worst of all, the feelings of apprehension Krystal could sense when he denied her, she couldn't feel it before at the base, nor now. A lone tear dropped down her eye, and when she noticed she was crying she quickly regathered herself. It's not her fault.

She noticed Wolf starting to move. At first it looked like shivering, but upon closer examination, he was shaking. His feelings, fear, flooded the room. When emotions were so strong, she couldn't help but be enveloped by them herself. His shaking stirred Fox awake, who was surprised. Fox took note of his breakdown again, and tried to start consoling him. He pet his head, slowly moving his hands down to stroke along his back to soothe the pained Wolf. Fox started to whisper things into his ears, in a further attempt to calm him down. Not only would it be hard for him to fall asleep with Wolf like this, but it also was a heart-wrenching sight. Such a strong person, reduced to rubble.

Krystal just watched this unfold, quietly observing how he handled the situation. Eventually, Wolf lowered his head, resting it against Fox's chest. Fox, too, lowered his head to rest just above Wolf's. As soon as they both had fallen asleep again, Krystal slowly stood up and left the room. That was something she wished she never saw, or felt. It was heart breaking for her. Tears were now streaming from her face again, this time she could not control it. She noticed something else in the room, something she had never felt from him before.

Care. He cared for Wolf, no matter how much he pushed it away, lied to himself and others.

And not her...

* * *

 **End note:**

Well this was a long time coming. Sorry for the lack of updates, I've just not been feeling motivated. The main reason I wrote my other short story was to try develop my way of writing a conversation that sounds believable, which may or may not have worked. The conversation in the other chapters feel strange to me, but I just can't find a way to fix it or make it better. Either way, that doesn't matter. Hope you enjoyed and hopefully the wait for the next chapter won't be _too_ long.


	8. Chapter 8: Recovery

**Authors note:**

Updating has become quite difficult lately, with the sheer amount of work from university and dealing with people in general, and I'm sorry for that...

* * *

Chapter 8: Recovery

A lone shadow raced across the corridor across from the room Katt was in. She couldn't exactly make out who said figure belonged to, but they looked to be rather thin, coming to the logical deduction that it was Krystal. If it were just that, just her walking past, she wouldn't have batted an eye.

If that...

However there were multiple things which concerned her. For one, why was she moving so fast? Next, the direction; she came from the direction of the med bay, her location most likely her room. Did something happen? Now she wished she never left the group.

Quickly arising from her seat she set out to see what was going on, walking towards the med bay. Sure, she _could_ go see Krystal, ask her about whatever, but at the moment it seemed that everyone was against Katt. At least, Fox and Krystal seemed to be.

' _Not that I can blame them._ '

She admitted to herself that she was being a tad bit childish, but her reasons were still solid. She hated Wolf; not even, She _despised_ him. Deep rooted anger doesn't change.

Arriving at the med bay, she tried to peer around to see inside, unaware that the door could only be fully open or closed. To her luck, both residents were sleeping comfortably.

"Tch"... And from seeing this she instantly turned around, walking in the other direction. Left at a click of her tongue, the thoughts started to swarm her. Sure, he was a part of the team but was this all really necessary? It didn't take a genius to notice the contrast between how Fox acted with the two, annoying her even more.

' _He doesn't deserve it. Nothing._ '

* * *

It had been a day since the incident at Fichina, with the Great Fox finally nearing it's destination. The journey back had been a slow one due to the fact that going into hyperspace with somebody in a critical state was never a good idea.

Wolf started to rouse from his sleep, trying to gather his cloudy thoughts. Before he tried opening his eyes, he started to try piece together where he was. The first thing he registered was that it was warm. That was a bonus.

' _So, not Fichina._ '

Next, he was comfortable. He noted that he was wrapped up in a soft blanket. Was it a blanket? On second thought, it was too _fluffy_ to be a blanket.

' _What the hell? Where am I?_ '

Suddenly opening his eyes, he realised that was the most stupid thing he could do. Light flooded his senses, with his eyes feeling as if they were burning.

Rapidly closing them he reconsidered his options. He'd only just noticed a faint beeping emanating from beside him. The sound, quiet at first, started to amplify in volume. Driving him crazy, it quickly became unbearable to hear the noise any longer.

Attempt number 2. Repeating his previous attempt, slowly now, he began to open his eyes again. It was painful, but he could at least bear it this time. He could adjust. The first thing he saw was a white blanket, covering his body. ' _So, I was right the first time? But, this doesn't look all that fluffy..._ ' Looking up, he found the object of his concern.

An orange wall of fur blocked him from observing any further. ' _Who the hell has orange fluffy pillows?_ ' The more he dwelled on this, the more he came to the conclusion. _Nobody_ has fluffy orange pillows. Moving further up, his head knocked into something. A muzzle, to be precise.

The pieces all fell into place, and he felt stupid for not realising it before. Well, not exactly. It was perfectly understandable why he _hadn't_ thought of this before. Because it shouldn't. Why _should_ he have thought of this? Never in a million years would he think of Fox, lying in the same bed as him, _cuddling him!_

The knock to the others muzzle caused him to start stirring. With a yawn, he opened his eyes, surprised at what he saw. A pair of violet eyes peered up at him, with an inquisitive tilt of the head from the individual which the eyes belonged to. It took a moment for him to register what was going on.

"Uh, Fox?" His voice rasped. "W... Why are you cuddling me?" The way he said it, so bluntly, was the force which made the vulpine recline, his face tingeing red under his fur. Wolf looked so innocent, weak, vulnerable, a stark contrast to the usual Wolf he saw.

"I-I mean, I'm not the only one." He retorted, at an attempt to keep his dignity. Wolf slightly felt numb, so he hadn't noticed at first, but now it hit him like a brick. He, too, was holding Fox. And _close_.

"What the?" He suddenly moved away, stopping their 'cuddle session'. All this resulted in, however, was sharp pains coming from his chest, causing him to recede in pain.

"Wolf! Be careful!" He quickly moved his hands to try ease the pain, acting as a form of comfort. His right hand ended up on his head, while his left resided on his chest, both rubbing gently. Wolf couldn't help the low vibration running through his body, but this... Why was this happening? He looked at Fox, his face looking even more confused than before.

"S-Sorry." The red returning to his features.

"Right." He looked pensive, thinking of the best way to get out of there. "Mind telling me what happened while I've been out?"

"Oh. OH!" Fox's eyes opened wide, realising he should have probably said so sooner. "Well, how much do you remember?"

"Not much. Star _whatever_ attacked us, and we got hit with something. I think?"

"Right, so after Star Wolf atta-"

"They're _not_ Star Wolf." The lupine looked slightly aggravated about this, with Fox not realising what he was saying.

"Sorry. Anyway, after we were attacked, we ended up crash landing on Fichina. I got away with a slight bump, but it wasn't the same for you." He looked somewhat sad when saying this, intriguing Wolf. "You were all cut up, so I took us both into the nearby base and started patching you up." Stopping momentarily, he thought back on how he acted back then.

Wolf couldn't help but smirk. "Heh, that's a change from the usual. Instead of you leaving me in the crash you helped," The look on his face showed that he wasn't too happy at this comment. With a cough, he continued "and then?"

"Before that, tell me. Are you feeling okay?"

"Okay? I guess... It still kinda hurts like, _everywhere_ , but yeah. I'm good."

"Are you _sure_?" Anxiety splayed all over his face, and Wolf couldn't help be affected by this. "I mean, I want to know one hundred percent that you're okay."

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, It was... I don't really know how to explain it really. A shock reaction?"

"S-Shock?" Now the lupine worried about what he could have said or done.

"Yeah, while trying to take out the glass shards, you suddenly grasped onto me, whispering to yourself. Whenever I tried to get out of your arms, you just pulled me harder, which kind of resulted in _this_ " He gestured around with his arms.

"What was I saying?" ' _From the sounds of it, nothing good..._ '

"I think it was something along the lines of 'don't leave me'." It's not the worst thing he could have said, but that didn't change the point that it wasn't _good_. "If you wouldn't mind..." Fox looked hesitantly into the lupine's eyes. "Could, could you tell me what that's about?"

"What makes you think it has to be _about something_." He was stalling now. He knew what that was without a doubt, what happened in his dream. This wasn't good...

"Well, that doesn't happen to most people without a reason."

Wolf scoffed at this, retorting with "Well, I guess I'm not _normal_ then." He was losing his stoicism, and thus tried to turn his words against him.

"Wolf, that's not what I said _nor_ meant. It's just..." Another pause, he wasn't having the easiest time forming his own words. "I want to, I mean..." He just couldn't, his thoughts infuriating him. "I want to help you." He clasped Wolf's hands together in his own, as if to emphasize this."I care about you..." Maybe he said too much. The agitated look on the lupines face showed this clearly, and Fox moved his hands away.

Once again, hearing the phrase 'I just want to help' resonated in the lupine.' _Was that what he meant to say?_ ' "You... Care?" Not many people had he heard _that_ from. ' _Maybe I should... Wait no! I can't let his lies get to me, he's just going to abuse it. Just like everyone else does. Like they all do..._ _He can't sweet talk his way through this!_ '

"I mean, sure... I care about all of my team members." ' _Right. Of course I do... Right?_ ' "I want to get to know everyone better. Knowing I can trust my team mates, and they can trust me, it's vital to me _and_ for the team." ' _Right?_ ' He had meant those words, but he was having trouble believing them. Thinking back, he didn't really know much about _most_ of his team mates. Peppy and Slippy probably being the only two he could, being with them for most of his life. And the more he thought about it, he _knew_ it was his fault he didn't know more about Krystal. Falco was always an enigma to him, and he left that be. Even now, he seemed somewhat antagonistic to Katt.

"Oh. Yeah, of course." He couldn't help but think on this. He could never say this about his old team. Maybe that's why he failed as a leader. At this thought, he visibly winced, concerning Fox.

' _Did I say something wrong?_ ' "So, can you please tell me what this is about?"

"Look, it's nothing, okay? I'm fine." He just wanted to forget this all, Fox never has to know.

"Wolf please..."

"I've told you, it's nothing!"

"I know that's not true. Stop lying and tell me!"

The lupines anger surged. This was a good tactic he found in a way to hide all other emotions he might be feeling, overpowering them. "It's none of your business! How about _you_ stop lying to _me_? What's this _really_ about, because I _know_ for sure tha-"

"Wolf _PLEASE!_ " the vulpine shouted, interrupting him abruptly. "Just, please, I know this is something that's bothering you. It's the same as before, the first time. You were shouting in your sleep, shaking. I know now, you were scared, of _whatever_ it is. I wanted to help then, too, but you just shoved me away." Losing control of what he was saying, he continued. "Am I not good enough for you? You told _Krystal_ the moment she asks but when _I_ tried to fix it I get shouted at and called a creep!" His voice raising more and more with each statement. "Is it going to be the same here? Am I going to have to go get Krystal to talk to you now? And once again I get left in the dark regardless of how _I_ feel about this too? Do you really hate me _that much?_ _DO YOU_ _? I DON'T GET IT! I LO_ -"

A paw to his forehead stopped his rant in it's tracks. He couldn't help but wonder, what _was_ he going to say? Fox was panting heavily now, his anger obvious. But when he looked up, looked into Wolf's eyes, could he stay angry? Did he _deserve_ to be angry at this? The lupine was clearly taken aback, an apprehensive look in his eye, and he would be lying if he said he _wasn't_ scared. But most importantly, the most obvious and prevalent feature on his face, was the sorry look he was giving the other.

A genuine, apologetic look covered his face completely.

Wolf never meant to make Fox angry or upset about this, but he was so caught up in what _he_ thought, what he wanted out of it, that he never even considered what others would think. And now, it was hitting him back at full force.

The two stayed quiet for an extended period of time, none daring to say any more. The only sound filling the room was the vulpine's laboured breaths and the slow recurring beeps of the life support machine.

Fox had closed his eyes in attempt to calm down, and it had worked. Eventually, the room fell into silence, Wolf's paw still lying on the gap between the others ears, slowly giving small, gentle strokes. ' _He can't possibly be lying... Can he?_ '

After a while, Wolf shattered their silence. "Fox?" He stayed unmoving. "I don't hate you." Opening his eyes in response, he peered at the other in response. "I'm sorry. I get that you were trying to help but..."

"I should be the one apologising, it's hypocritical of me to shout at you and when I'm saying I want to help you..."

"Either way, I'm sorry... If you," he faltered once again, "if you want to know... I'll tell you, but just not now, okay? And not a word to the others." ' _Should I be trusting him?_ '

"Are you sure?" His eyes seemed to light up in response, finally feeling accomplished in breaking down his emotional walls. He was getting closer, he hoped, to the _real_ Wolf.

"If you really want." Finally reaching a compromise, Fox lowered his head with a sigh and a smile on his mouth.

"Thank you." Once again the two fell silent. Fox slowly started to rise from his side of the bed, coming to stand at the side of the bed.

"I should probably tell the team you're up. Stay here and don't move too much, okay? I don't want to see you bleeding out again by the time I get back." he joked, smirking at the lupine.

"I don't know, I might just get up and walk around just to spite you." Wolf responded, a grin on his muzzle too.

"Talk to you later." he raised his arm, his hand over his shoulder. Wolf grunted in response, and he left the room, the door closing with a click.

' _What have I gotten myself into..._ '

Walking down the corridor, he heard someone in the control center. Poking his head around the corner, Peppy could be seen at his station, typing away, with the large backdrop of Corneria through the window.

"Fox?" Peppy was surprised to see him, turning in his chair to fully face him.

"Yeah, Wolf woke up a few minutes ago and I just thought I should probably tell everyone. How long until we land?"

"We're about 10 minutes off, and then you're as good as free. And I'm sure that all your time spent in bed you're ready to stretch your legs." he said, smiling.

"Great, I can't wait to get off. I don't know why but this mission has felt like it's taken _forever_."

"I'm not sure how much I can agree with you there, but I see why you feel that way."

"Okay, I'll go tell the others about our arrival and such, see ya later Peps." he turned and quickly walked away...

Only to be stopped before he could go. "Also, Fox?"

"Yeah?"

"How far do you plan on going with this?" Fox seemed taken aback by that.

"Huh? I don't know what you mean, is something up?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I guess my age is just getting to me."

"Uh huh?" He was very confused by now, but it didn't seem like Peppy was going to elaborate any further so he decided to leave it at that. "Well, yeah see ya..." This time he left with no interruptions.

' _How ominous..._ ' Fox thought as he walked down. It didn't help that it was Peppy who said it. It always seemed that he had some strange insight, as if he could see into the future, surprising them all multiple times in the past. Yet, he knew it was impossible, nobody could see in the future; it just gave him a bad feeling.

Fox, quickly told the other members of the team of their arrival, with nothing much noteworthy except for something in his meeting with Krystal. She seemed off to him, he didn't know what it was. She also seemed to slightly twitch when he brought up Wolf, and he had no idea why. Perhaps he could also talk to her after his ordeal with Wolf?

Returning to the med bay, Fox took a seat at the side of the bed, with Wolf lying behind him. He turned to face him, giving him a weak smile. "You were quick."

"Why, you wanted to be alone? There wasn't really much to do."

"No it's not that, it's just... Never mind." Wolf replied, stopping his previous train of thought.

"Okay? Peppy told me we'll be arriving on Corneria in around 10 minutes, and then we're free to do whatever." Fox started fidgeting with is hands, thinking on what to say. "When we land, I'll take you to the hospital, if that's alright with you."

"Hospital?"

"I just thought, it might be a good idea. Your wounds will heal even if we don't go but I thought you might want to get healed so you can actually _do_ stuff, you know?"

"I guess that makes sense. Sure, I'll go, thanks." He looked up at the other with a smile.

"And I was wondering, maybe, uh," he trailed off, not sure if he should ask.

"Hm?"

"If you'd want to, like, hang out, or something. Talk, y'kno?" Fox looked away while saying this, not daring to look the other in the eye.

"Might be fun. I'm in." The way he casually answered made him wonder why he was apprehensive in the first place. It was only them chilling and talking, getting to know each other better.

' _It's not like it's a date, right?_ ' Fox thought, questioning himself. ' _Yeah, it's nothing like that... Right?_ '

* * *

Loud footsteps were all that could be heard in this isolated wing. Slow, calculated, footsteps, knowing where they were going. Knowing all too much, having come multiple times before. How could she forget?

She opened the door slowly, entering the bleak white room, and then closing as silent as possible. Walking to the object of her desires, she couldn't help but feel her heart drop. No matter how many times she saw this, it won't stop. The feeling of sadness, it was strange.

She always believed she never needed this, but when it comes up in her face she can't help but wallow in grief. She sat beside the bed, looking at the other with a forlorn look etched upon her face. She could get over this, she hoped.

She clasped one of their hands into her own, looking down. It was wrong. It was unfair. It was cruel. All the things she could think of, why did it happen to him, to _them_. Everything...

"I won't let them take away everything from us again. This is his fault... I can't forgive him. Not again..."

"I will fix this..."

She suddenly felt the hand in her possession, and it was clasping back...

* * *

 **End note:**

And finally, I managed to get the next chapter up. Kind of dialogue heavy, but I want to try develop their feelings, and thus trying to get them to understand eachothers first. I want to say I'll try update frequently over this Christmas period, but I'm not sure how much I can keep my word on it. Thanks for reading anyway, and see you next update!


	9. Chapter 9: Treatment

**Authors note:**

I had actually written the majority of this chapter on Christmas eve, but then things happened and it fell back on my list of things to do. I had also originally planned for this to be longer but felt that if it was too long it would feel out of place. Next chapter hopefully soon!

* * *

Chapter 9: Treatment

The drive to the hospital was awkward. Fox couldn't help feel that way. He mulled over his thoughts over and over but every time he thought of starting conversation, he opted for silence. He had no idea what to talk about to the other. Wolf, on the other hand, was not faring any better. After being awake for an extended period of time he had adopted a more grumpy look on his face, akin to how it normally is. Realising this sparked a twinge of emotion what the vulpine couldn't quite place. It wasn't as if he didn't like how he looked now, but there was something else about him when in his dazed state prior. He looked more vulnerable, unguarded. The sort of look most people strive to protect, so that they don't get hurt.

Fox shook his head to stop that thought. ' _Come on Fox, say something!_ ' It's not like he could just start suddenly talking about their pasts as if they were best friends now. Although it hurt to admit it, he wasn't even sure the lupine would even _consider_ calling him a friend. Maybe he could fix that? He recalled back to a few days ago, where the three canines went out for food. Now that he thought about it, it started in the same way...

* * *

The sun shone over the bustling streets of Corneria city, lively as ever. The citizens of Corneria always knew how to bounce back, despite the war and invasion which occurred prior. There were groups of all sizes walking around. Those few in business suits scurrying on quickly to their jobs, the lax couples moving as if they had all the time in the world oblivious to everyone. Larger groups with diversity between members, providing ample subjects to talk about to each other; and then there were them.

Complete silence between them. Even if Wolf had apologised, Fox couldn't help but feel annoyed. He still had no idea what the whole thing was about, and he didn't really plan to bring it up. There was also the fact that he never intended for Wolf to come in the first place, Krystal invited him. How he wished this could go by fast...

Wolf had never been accustomed to small talk. Never needed it. The only time he really talked to others, it was business. He never talked to his old team unless necessary; briefing, commands, plans, the sort. So it was no surprise that he chose to stay silent.

' _Maybe this was a bad idea._ ' Slowly that thought, and the sentiment behind it was becoming stronger.

Krystal on the other hand, subtly stole glances at Fox expectantly. She had invited him so the two could possibly get to know each other, settle their differences. But all it had resulted in was _this_. Stuck between two brooding canines too scared to talk to each other.

" _Fox._ " she quietly whispered to him, causing his ears to perk up. " _Say something to him._ "

" _What do you want me to say?_ "

" _Something._ Anything."

It was easier said than done. All the blaring questions in his head were out of the question. Too personal, too boring, too stupid. ' _Come on Fox, it's just small talk. With Wolf... How hard can it be?_ '

"So, uh, Wolf. What happened to your eye?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. That was probably the _worst_ thing he could've asked at that moment, as was evident by the look of shock on Krystals face and surprise on the others. ' _Way to go, idiot..._ '

Wolf glanced down at the pavement, pensive in thought. ' _Should I tell them?_ ' "Oh, this? Just an accident, nothing much." his voice trailing off. ' _Nah._ ' Keeping it a secret was the best idea at this given time for him. "I'm surprised though, didn't think you had it in you to ask has ever _dared_ to ask me that." he added, with a light chuckle.

That reaction was something the two had never expected. Fox had expected shouting, a few insults thrown around, and in the end no progress made. Instead he was calm? The thought of this spurred him on to continue.

"Well, I'm not really everyone else, am I?" Fox added with a grin. Maybe this could work out...

* * *

He smiled fondly at the memory. He learnt far more than he ever expected to about the mysterious lupine that day. The little stuff. The small, non-important details about him what no one would really care about. The tiny bits of knowledge you'll never know about someone unless you obtain it first hand. And in a way, that made it better. Nobody else would know what Wolf's favourite colour was, his favourite meal, hobbies. ' _Well, Krystal does._ ' The thought sounded in the back of his mind, and he couldn't help but feel bad that his mind was neglecting her. But he already kind of knew things about her, trying to justify himself.

Just, it was strange. Never would he have imagined that he'd talk to him about it. About Wolf. And the way how he sometimes had answered, bashfully looking away, following up with a timid, hesitant response. He thought it was cute... _Cute?_ ' _It's not a bad thing to consider someone cute, right? Especially a guy? No, it doesn't matter who it is, right? It_ was _cute... Right?'_

He had to say something. Anything to stop his mind from continuing it's train of thought. How had he started it last time? ' _Oh yeah._ '

"Say Wolf, something's been bothering me." he started, getting the lupines attention. "What's wrong with your eye? It _looked_ fine to me."

"What do you mean what's wrong? I just can't see out of it. Why do you think I wear an eyepatch?"

"But don't eyes start to deteriorate after being blind for a while? I though they started to fade out after a while, but both of yours were the same." ' _That stunning shade of purple... Huh?_ ' "Plus, I couldn't really see an injury around the area." he stuttered out, banishing that thought from his mind. There was slight scarring in the area around his eye, but that was _everywhere_ on the mercenary's body.

"Well, I guess mine didn't." he tried to think of a way out of this. He was running out of excuses. "I just can't see that well out of it. It hurts to use, so I usually cover it."

"But you just said that you _can't_ see out of it, and now it's that you can't see _well?_ " He was skeptical about it now. "And if it hurt to use, why would you use your cybernetic eyepatch? If anything, just using the standard leather one would be better for that..."

"Well, I, uh," his mind ran blank. He had lost. Fox was looking at him expectantly now, and he had no way out of it. ' _Maybe it won't be that bad if he knows._ ' "Okay okay, you got me. Just, don't tell anyone, okay?"

" _More_ secrets?"

"Truth is, both my eyes work fine." he carried on as if he'd never heard the comment. "I originally used the eyepatch as a way to make myself look tougher."

"I don't believe it." Fox looked pensive for a moment, when an idea suddenly popped into his head. At the next traffic lights, he put one hand over his 'functional eye' and held up a number with his other hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three." He quickly changed the number, raising another finger. "Four... And that's cheating." Fox looked incredulously at the other, quickly taking his hands back and putting them on the wheel. The light turned green and their journey continued.

"Guess I was wrong... I don't understand though, tougher?"

"Nobody would want to join the team of a rookie, much less one who's not been in the merc world long. It made me seem more experienced, with wounds to back it up."

"Wait, how old _are_ you?" Fox inquired.

"Twenty-four, I was nineteen during the war." This baffled Fox. If this was the case, how did Wolf know his dad? He wouldn't have flown with him. Maybe he could ask later.

"Ok, but wouldn't wearing an eyepatch make you less likely to be wanted?"

"It helped me make a name for myself. Sure, I could outfly all of the other pilots normally, but being able to do so with one eye? They _loved_ that, and I had no complaints. It didn't restrict me _too much_."

"Thank God you did huh? I wonder if I could beat you in a 1 on 1 _without_ your eyepatch..."

"Well, you kind of did. I switched to my cybernetic eyepatch after the war, and as much as I hate to admit it, you bested me with it." From the look of confusion on the vulpines face, he must not have made it clear enough. "Sargasso."

"Oh." Now he remembered. Flying in, attacking their base in hopes of finding Pigma... "I never did apologise for that. Sorry." Destroying their base, their _home_ , just didn't sit right with him now, even if at the time he had no idea of his affiliation with the swine.

"Don't worry about it. I can't be _too_ mad, it freed me in a sense. No more empire to run, no more followers."

"Well, you're welcome then." he spared a glance to the lupine, smirking. The two fell back into silence, except this time it was more akin to a comfortable silence. This continued until they arrived at the parking lot of the hospital. Fox tried to find a spot close to the entrance to avoid straining Wolf too much, and luckily found one. As the car stopped, he turned to face the lupine.

"So, what I don't get is why you didn't want to tell me."

"Well," he looked away from Fox, towards the floor of the car. That same, adorable sheepish look on his face. ' _Adorable?! What am I thinking!?'_ "I didn't want you to think of me as a liar, or weak or anything. Losing trust early on won't be good if I want to stay with you for a while."

It made Fox happy that he didn't push him away early with his aggressive behaviour, and that they weren't a last resort to him. He _also_ couldn't help feel a bit warm on the inside at how the lupine worded it, as if he wanted to stay with _him_.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Your position's secure for now."

' _For now?_ ' Wolf couldn't help show a glimmer of sadness in his visage, but quickly removed it. Fox realised what he said, and quickly set out to fix it.

"I didn't mean it like that. I don't want you off the team. I'm just... Unsure how long I want to keep this up." He didn't look convinced. "I don't want to see anyone I care about die. I don't want to end up like..." A lump caught in his throat, and he decided to stop there. "But no, I won't get rid of you. You're safe with me." Fox smiled at Wolf, and he smiled back.

He opened the door, prompting the other to follow suit. "Lets get inside." And so they did.

* * *

Wait, was that real?

A quick glance down to her hand said it all. A blue feathered hand clasped in her own with a meek strength. "F-Falco?" she tried calling out to him, to little avail.

"Falco!" she tried once again, amplifying her volume. Still, no response. She tried shaking him gently, raising her voice once more "Falco!"

"Yeah yeah I heard ya' the first time, quiet down will ya'?" he rasped out. Just hearing his voice, her heart skipped a beat. She took the hand in both of her own and pulled it slightly towards her.

"Thank goodness you're okay." she whispered to herself.

"Can't take me out just like that." he added, followed by a cough. Silence fell upon the two, with Katt just content to be there. After a while, Falco decided to break it abruptly with "Could ya' give me my hand back?"

"Oh." She let his hand flop back onto the bed listlessly. "I should probably go tell the team you've woken up." Despite her statement, she made no move to do so. She was slightly hoping she could've spent more time talking to him on her own.

"Well?"

"Right." She reluctantly took out her communicator and filed through her contacts, sending the entire team, excluding Wolf, the same curt message. _Come to the hospital now._ It vibrated almost instantly after being sent, a reply from Krystal signifying that she was on her way. The other members following suit soon after. She could talk to him while the others were coming at least...

Wolf was now back to lying down in the hospital bed displeased. He was starting to regret his decision to come to the hospital. Was it _really_ necessary to be bedridden over a few cuts and scratches? Fox could easily pick up on this, opting to talking to the lupine to take his mind off it.

"Sorry about this, but I'm sure it's necessary for what they want to do. You won't regret coming, I promise."

"I already am. I better come out of this with some superpower or else my time's been wasted."

"I'm sure they have that technology primed _just_ for you." he replied, smirking down at the lupine.

Momentarily after, a doctor walked into the room. "Mr McCloud?" The white Labrador, male, turned to face him. "Can I speak with you a second?"

"Yeah sure." The two started to walk out of the room, leaving the lupine on his own. Wolf was going to voice his complaints but was stopped in his tracks by a simple hand gesture from Fox. "I'll be back soon." Wolf replied with a grumble and sank further into the bed.

Now that the door was firmly closed, separating the three, the doctor started. "It might take a while for his wounds to heal. I think the best course of action would be to come back in a day or two and then we can let him out."

"Really? I told him this wouldn't take long..." Fox looked contemplative for a moment. "Is there anything else you could do for him?"

"Well, there are things we didn't recommend because of how mild the injuries are. That and the costs of it."

"I don't care about the cost, what is it?"

"It's somewhat experimental." Fox looked at him, goading him to continue. "We can use nanotech to close up the wounds and make it as if nothing had ever happened, but there are side effects we're trying to remove."

"Side effects?"

"The treatment momentarily messes with the subjects neural system. They start to feel loopy, weakened ability. It eventually sorts itself out, but I felt for the scale of his injuries this wasn't necessary."

"How long?"

"A day at most."

The thought of it didn't sound _too_ bad. Granted he was already going to be hanging out with the lupine after, except now it felt as if he would be taking care of him for the day instead.

"Do it, I'll pay for it." The doctor looked slightly annoyed at this, but didn't speak up. Just the prospect of using high-end medical technology for something when it's absolutely unnecessary irked him. Not that he could complain, he'd still be getting paid.

"Fine, however we recommend you don't come into the room until after we've finished. We need to prepare it so we can localise where the treatment." Fox looked confused, but didn't say anything.

"Right, I'll just wait out here." The doctor headed in to the room, most likely to tell Wolf of the plans. ' _Why am I bothering to waste my money on this? I should have just taken in his recommendation, done the smart thing._ ' But the longer he thought about it, how Wolf would react when he told him, how he'd lied to him, how he'd made him come here. The lupine never wanted to in the first place. The more ideas, the stipulations caused from it, the more he believed he made the right decision. He didn't want to upset the lupine. But _why?_

The doctor quickly moved out of the room, and as Fox peeked inside, he could see the lupine laying asleep peacefully on the bed. Fox bit his lip and turned away, feeling as if he was missing something.

Suddenly his communicator vibrated signalling him that he had received a message. Quickly whipping it out, he saw Katt's name attached to it. ' _Come to the hospital now? The only reason she would be here is because..._ '

He quickly set off towards his destination. Falco's room. ' _Back soon Wolf._ ' The two were on the opposite sides of the hospital, so the journey was longer than he was wanting it to be. He entered the room, startling the inhabitants.

"Fox? You got here quick. You didn't even reply to my message." She looked at him with a slight annoyance. ' _So much for alone time..._ '

"Yeah, I was just here with Wolf. He's currently getting treated so I could make it here quickly." Falco noticed the brief look of irritation as he mentioned Wolf. He decided to stay quiet, to gather missing information _before_ he acted. And from the sounds of it, he was missing a _lot._

"What, a few cuts too much for him?" She snidely remarked. Falco could see her resentment for the lupine was still as prevalent as ever.

"It was _my_ idea actually. We were going to... Spend the day together. I'd rather him not suddenly start bleeding out." ' _So Wolf and Fox are friends now?_ ' Falco wondered.

"Wow, spending the day together? Going on a date with your boyfriend huh?" ' _Boyfriends?!_ '

"He's not..." Fox let out a small growl and shook his head. He turned to look towards the avian in the bed, eyes wide open, silently watching the conversation unfold. A breath of relief was let out from the vulpine. "Falco, I'm glad to see you're okay." Ignoring Katt's statements seemed like the best plan of action.

"Yeayea, I'm good. You know how long I've been out?"

"Almost two weeks. I'm surprised you woke up so soon..." Fox looked around the room. "Shouldn't there be a doctor to see him, given he's just woken up?" He turned to face Katt.

"Oh, I was going to do that later."

"Wait, you _haven't_ told them he's awake? That should be the _first_ thing you should think of doing!" He exclaimed.

"Jeez, sorry for telling you he's _fine_. I can't do anything to please you lately, can I?" She stood up, walked past the vulpine and out of the door, not before giving him an angry glare. Falco also noticed the anonymity between the two, which was strange.

"So, Foxie," Falco started."mind telling me what's going on? Why are you and Katt fighting?"

"Oh, lately something's gotten into her. She really hates Wolf, and now that he's joined the team it-"

"Wait _what?_ Wolf's _joined the team?_ You should probably start from there, because last time I remembered we were _fighting_ them."

"Oh. Wolf wasn't a part of that. I was angry at him too, and rightfully so. I thought he did this to you... But no, we were told by Pepper that it wasn't him. He also wanted us to let him join the team, and we weren't exactly in a position to say no."

"So he's my replacement, ey?" Falco looked at the other. "Got over me quick enough."

"It's not like that. We could never replace you, but we couldn't just sit around out of action either! Katt also ended up joining the team when she heard you were out of action, but it was never intended to replace you. You're always welcome on the team, you know that right?"

"I'm joking man. I know you could never get rid of me." he cockily stated to the other. "So Wolf joined the team, and she hates Wolf. I gathered that. What I _don't_ get is why this means you're both fighting."

"I guess it's because I've been sticking up for him or something. I can't blame her either. I've snapped at her a few times from the things she's said about him. I wouldn't normally, but I just can't help it when she insults him, or antagonises him, or anything. I don't get what's going on with me..." he trailed off, looking down.

"So, what's going on between you two? What are you to each other? Friends? Boyfriends?"

"I-I don't know..." he let out a meek response. "I don't know how he thinks of me. I don't even know how I feel about him either."

"Look Fox, I don't care what you are. From the sounds of it, you seem to like Wolf. Granted, I don't know it all, or much for that matter, but it seems to me you care about him. If you trust him, I'll trust you."

"It's not li-" Falco held up a hand to stop him.

"It doesn't matter. I'll talk to Katt, try to get her to stop, okay? If he's working with us, when I'm back I don't want her at his throat either. It's in everyone's best interest."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Just you wait, this birdie will fix this all, make you wish you _never_ replaced me." He smugly stated again. It was nice knowing that his friend was back.

"Thanks bud."

"No prob, anything else you wanna share?"

"Well, I-" suddenly the door swung open, with Katt returning with a doctor. "No, not really." as the doctor passed by Fox, he stood up. "As much as I would love to stay and talk, I've gotta go check up on Wolf, make sure he's okay. I'll try come by later, okay?"

"Already going? You haven-"

Falco looked pointedly at Katt and replied to Fox "Yeah, talk to ya' later."

On his way back to where Wolf was staying, he bumped into Krystal. "Hey, you come to see Falco?" he started

"Yes, but I take it you're not?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You're walking away from his room."

' _Oh..._ ' "Yeah, I'm off to see Wolf. He's currently getting treated on the other wing."

"Oh, I might come visit later if you're still here." She smiled at him. He was wanting to spend time with Wolf _alone_ though...

"I'm not sure if we'll be here for long..." He started to look for excuses. "His injuries don't seem too bad."

"Don't worry about it. I'll ask at the desk where you are later."

"Sounds good... See you later maybe?"

"Bye Fox." She sounded a bit flirty. Fox wished he could get Wolf out of the hospital soon, but was also starting to feel conflicted. He didn't want to _actively_ avoid Krystal.

' _Is it wrong to only want to spend time with Wolf?_ '

* * *

 **End note:**

How many of you thought Falco would be antagonistic? Personally I feel it would be a less ideal choice. I want to briefly talk about the "main idea" of my story so to speak, in which they all have changing perspectives of each other (Feel free to skip it).

There's the main couple, resulting in romance (later). Krystal starts to see Fox differently, and starts to change how she acts herself (you'll also see later.) And finally, my plans for Falco is to help change Katt's (extremely) negative behaviour towards Wolf, being the closest to her.

That being said, if I fail heavily at that I'm sorry but nothing much I can do there. Until next time!


	10. Chapter 10: Date?

**Authors note:**

And here's the promised chapter. This counts as soon, right? x)

* * *

Chapter 10: Date?

This is stupid. Was he stupid? He might be stupid...

 _'Idiot!'_

And here he was thinking this was going to easy. What the hell do people do when _"hanging out"_? He'd never really done this before. Not with his school mates, nor with his team mates, yet the fact that it should be simple, that it was so _casual_ to everyone else which infuriated the vulpine.

Abandoning the hospital, with slight regret for ditching Krystal, Fox and Wolf roamed the streets with no objective in mind. Biting his lip, Fox stole a glance at the other; isn't _"loopy"_ a bit too vague for doctors? Wolf hadn't done anything out of the ordinary _yet_ , but the whole day was ahead of them and Fox wasn't sure that would hold up. All this uncertainty for a day out to _God knows where_ for the two.

 _'Loopy, huh?'_

Well, _something_ was clear to the vulpine. That usual grumpy expression which etched the lupine's face was replaced with a more lax, happy look. He looked better when he wasn't forcefully contorting his face to feign anger, as if he hated everything; not that he looked bad, though. The vulpine wanted to see it more, his happiness. He would strive to make him smile.

 _'Grr!'_ Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. _'Stop it, Fox.'_

But was it a bad thing to see someone be happy? Of course not! It doesn't matter who it is, Wolf or no. Just because of what Falco said...

What Falco said...

" _it seems to me you care about him."_ Fox had said those words to him earlier that day. But, he cares about everyone... Just, not the way Falco _meant_ it. Right? _"you seem to like Wolf."_ Yeah... He did. But once again, Falco had chosen double-edged words. Liking the lupine? Sure. But did he _like_ the lupine? Like, _like_ like him?

 _'I don't... I don't like guys. I_ can't _like Wolf.'_

 **Thud.**

Rubbing his face, Fox snapped out of his thoughts to notice Wolf had stopped moving. In fact, he was looking over at the distance, to the park. _'That's it!'_

"You wanna go over there?" Fox suggested, keenly aware that it was _exactly_ where he wanted to go. The wagging of grey fluff in front of him showed that his deduction was dead on.

"Sure!" He looked even happier now. A fang emerged from his mouth, looking almost deviant in nature. Anyone else would probably assume he was planning something, like mugging them, but Fox knew better. At least, he hoped he did...

The park was rather quiet, given it was a week day. Most of the kids in the city were at school, their parents at work. The only people who seemed to occupy the park were the elderly. It was one of the smaller parks in Corneria, and the pathways were arranged in a very linear fashion. Fox stopped himself halfway across a bridge, just to admire the scenery.

Picturesque. That one word seemed to sum it up for Fox. Lush trees and bushes surrounded him, a vibrant green. Flowers lined the artificial pathways, arranged in a way such that the colours popped in contrast against the grass. The abundant foliage managed to block out most of the cityscape backdrop, and at first glance you might think it was in a remote location. The sound of rustling leaves overhead mixed with the gentle flow of the stream below and filled his senses.

It was peaceful. _So_ peaceful, that he completely forgot about his company. Though he seemed to be caught in the moment too. Silently gazing off away, a pensive look on his face. The sight so candid, he couldn't help feel that the image of Wolf staring off added to the moment.

 _'No'_

"Ahem." Fox coughed, startling the lupine. "Sorry about stopping you. Shall we continue?" Nodding, his face resumed it's previous cheery state. The walk was short lived, however, as they soon reached the centre, a circular clearing with a fountain in the middle. A monument depicting an Arwing stood proud, water cascading down the ship from it's engines. Both of them neared the statue, reading the plaque below.

 _In honour of Star Fox, the heroes which strove to protect the people of Corneria.  
_ _And to it's former leader: James McCloud.  
_ _A vital asset to Corneria, cut down in his prime.  
_ _Father, hero, legend, missed by many. May you rest peacefully._

He felt a violent tug at his heart strings... A distant longing he'd never gotten over, that small childish part of the vulpine which still existed; wishing, praying that he could come back. He'd never gotten true closure. Getting over it was harder said than done, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't forget.

"You know..." Wolf gently spoke, interrupting his moment of reflection. "I'm kind of jealous."

...

 _'J-JEALOUS?!'_

Just the thought of it enraged the vulpine. Jealous of _what?!_ Having his father _**die**_ while he was still young? Jealous of having to be adopted by a family friend, never feeling that he actually belonged? The constant looks and whispers about him, calling him strange, weird, daddy's boy. He was seething.

His head whipped to face the other. "Jealous of _what,_ pray tell?" He couldn't keep the anger from seeping out, but Wolf paid no attention to it. Instead, it was like he was in a world of his own.

"He sounds like a great guy. He _was_ a great guy. I wish..." He trailed off, looking somberly towards the statue. A lone tear managed to escape the lupine's eye, gently falling against the floor. "I wish I could have had someone like that..."

Was this the medicine talking? It seemed to make him more expressive, which Fox took note of earlier, but if these were how he felt. The more he thought about it, the more he felt awful. Why would be jealous about _any_ of that. Why would he be jealous about his father dying?

"Wolf?"

Silence. The only sound he could hear was of the fountain splashing, distorted by his amplified heartbeat. He looked so... Beaten. Defeated. The smile he once swore to protect replaced by sorrow. He should say something. _Should_ he say something?

"Say, Fox." He said, cutting through the silence. "He was a great person, right?" A slow nod of Fox's head confirmed it. He thought so greatly of him, of _course_ he was going to agree. "Could you tell me something?" Another nod. "Could you talk to me about him? Tell me about him... Show me how you feel about him."

Predicament. _Big_ predicament. Okay, that settles it. He definitely _is_ stupid. Having no reason to decline, he agreed to his request. The two took a seat by a nearby bench facing towards the statue.

"He was... Something else. It still baffles me how someone like him had so much love to give out, regardless of what had happened to him. When my mother died, he was the only person I really had left; I didn't have any siblings. Grand parents were dead, buried back on Papetoon. Despite all that, he gave it his all." A sad smile managed to form on his face.

"He taught me so much. About flying, about life. I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. Someone so perfect... He'd contemplated quitting being a mercenary for me, to take care of me. He was so close too, but not close enough. He gave all his time to me, making sure I was okay. We were happy, for a time, until the mission came through. He actually refused to go, but the military forced him to go. He told me he would come back..."

"I still wish he did. I thought it was unfair that someone who worked so hard, who gave his all for everyone and not for himself, could be killed for that same compassion." Yet, no tears were shed from the vulpine. Just a dull ache. He'd already cried far too much over his death. It was strangely cathartic for the vulpine, saying this to the other.

"I hated Pigma for that. Never forgave him." Wolf interrupted him once again. "And... I'm sorry you had to go through that." The sincerity in his words produced a feeling in Fox. What said feeling was, he didn't know.

"What was your dad like?" Fox inquired, and then instantly regretted it. _"I wish I could have had someone like that."_ Mistakes were made. Why was he so _stupid?!_ A scowl formed on Wolf's muzzle.

"He... Nothing like yours..." Wolf's breath hitched, and it was obvious the memory was taking it's toll on him. "Alcoholic. Unloving. Angry." A few choice words, not giving much away about his past. "Child-abusive..."

 _Oh..._ Fox's chest sunk even deeper. He never expected to be told _that_ , and with the possibility that he's only saying this because of the medication he was on made it all the worse. It felt like he was using it to delve into the others unknown past.

"Wolf, I-"

"My sister got it easy from him. He had a sort of vendetta against me, something about just me existing caused my mother to die. I never knew her, never will. I know nothing of her, he actively tried to remove her from my life... As if I didn't deserve her." The usual composed Wolf he'd recently gotten to know could be seen nowhere in the person beside him. Tears seemed to well up in his eyes, being cast away every time he blinked. "I know it's my fault she died... Whose else could it have been? He knew it too. Having someone live with you, knowing it's their fault the love of your life is dead, infuriated him. I think the only reason that I'm still alive today is that I still have a part of her inside me."

"I ne-"

"I often have dreams about him. Nightmares, about when I was a child... The time you woke me up, it was because of one of them. The memory haunts me wherever I go."

 _'I shouldn't have asked this...'_ "Are y-"

"Tell me Fox. Am I a screw up? Am I worthless?"

"No. I could never call you either."

"Then why do I let his words get to me? I can't help think he's right."

Fox wrapped an arm around Wolf's shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't let them. I'm sure you've done far more than he's _ever_ accomplished. You're better than him."

"Fox... I..." He couldn't hold back the dam any more. Wolf moved closer, resting his head against his shoulder, tears flowing. Fox moved his hand to the the back of his head, stroking gently. He began to whisper reassuring words into the others ear to try get him to calm down. Wolf let out a quiet, sorrowful howl.

"You're fine. You'll be fine. It isn't your fault. I'm sure your mum would never want you to think you killed her. I'm here for you, and will be whenever you want, okay?" While he shouldn't be feeling happiness about this, there was a slight bubbly feeling rising in Fox's chest. Just being in close proximity to Wolf seemed to do this to him recently. It couldn't be because...

 _'No! I don't like him!'_

His thoughts didn't stop him from comforting the other, though. Nor did it make him hesitate. He'd practically just forced this painful memory out of the lupine, he at least deserved _this_. Fox looked around for a moment, glad that the park was so quiet. No one was there to disturb them, to give them strange looks as they walked past. Just them, alone.

 _'Krystal would probably be better at this than me...'_ Maybe he should have waited for her? He never would have screwed this whole thing up to start with if she were there. Yet the more he thought of how this would be easier with her, it wouldn't be better. The vulpine was enjoying his time with Wolf, even if this happened because of it.

It felt like a day had passed before his crying began to subside. Little sniffles could be heard from beside Fox, but that was it. Wolf moved his head up, revealing his bloodshot purple eyes. It was a sight Fox never wanted to see again.

"Say, I know what might cheer you up." One of Wolf's ears perked up in response, wondering what that might be. "Wanna get some ice-cream?"

"I-Ice-cream?" It was a stupid idea, so stupid it might actually work. Stupidity had gotten him _this_ far already.

"Yeah. I've heard people eat it when they're sad and it makes them feel better. I've never tried it before but hey, it might work."

"I'm not a heartbroken teenage girl, Fox..."

"Don't knock it until you try it."

"Hm..." Wolf hummed in thought for a second. "Okay fine. But can we wait until..." He motioned his hand over his face, thinking he looked like a mess.

"Of course."

...

"Your hand is still on my head, you know..." Wolf said, breaking the momentary silence.

"Oh, sorry." Removing his hand from it's perch, he faced away, his face flushed.

"Nah, it's okay. I didn't mind that much, I just thought you might want it back." The red deepened.

 _'Stop blushing Fox! You're not some lovestruck teenager! You're not in some romance novel. You_ don't _like Wolf!'_

After recomposing himself Wolf stood, indicating Fox that they could go now. There was an ice-cream van not too far off where they were sat, which was surprising given how dead the park was. Wolf stood in awe at the variety of different options they had. When he said ice-cream, he _assumed_ it would just be simple. What the _hell_ was a _"screwball"?_

"What will it be for ya'?" The vendor asked, slightly panicking the lupine. He wasn't ready for _this._

"I'll take a strawberry 99 with a flake, please." Fox looked over to Wolf, giving him a questioning look. He'd just copy Fox, that seemed like a good idea.

"Uh... 99 with a flake too, please."

"What flavour?"

"Uhm... Normal please"

The man prepared the two and handed it to Fox. After paying, Fox handing Wolf's to him, they set off to walk around the park. "Have a nice day!" The voice called out from behind them.

Bringing a hesitant tongue to the soft treat, the lupine slowly gave it a lick. Sweet. _Very_ sweet; not unbearable though. He couldn't really see why it had this _magical_ power to make people happy, but he had to admit it was good. Fox had started on his too, oblivious to the revelation Wolf just had.

"Like it?" Fox inquired, grinning at the other.

"Yeah, but it's hardly what it's hyped up to be." Wolf thought for a moment, maybe he just got the wrong one? "Hey, can I try yours?"

"Huh? I mean, I-uh..." What could be wrong with that? "Sure, why not?" He raised his hand to the others face, presenting it in front of him. He gave it a long lick, seeing if that would work.

This was sweeter, for sure. Maybe the sugar is what gives people energy? If so, he might have to wait a bit for that. He also made a mental note for the future; strawberry is better than regular.

Fox, on the other hand, just found out what could go wrong. Now greeted with another predicament, he didn't know what to do. The other had licked his ice-cream, that in itself wasn't bad... But now if he were to lick it, wouldn't that be some sort of indirect kiss? As if he and Wolf...

Shaking his head to try stop the blush from forming. _'Stop thinking like that!'_ It was fine, it wasn't like that. Right?

Even if he settled on that thought, he felt mild excitement bubbling up inside him, as his tail began to slowly wag. He started to eat it again, suddenly aware of the slight difference in taste than before. _'Why am I picking up on this?'_

Regardless of his inner turmoil, he still enjoyed it. It wasn't often he had the opportunity to eat stuff like this. He finished the cream and then quickly chomped down the wafer, surprising the lupine once more. _That_ was edible too?

The two suddenly emerged outside the park, greeted with the sight of cars zooming past them. "So... What do you wanna do now?"

Wolf's stomach grumbled in response, making it clear that he was still hungry. "Food?" Fox suggested, seeing the others ears perk up again. He loved doing that. It took a while for them to find a place to stop, but they eventually settled on a fast food sort of restaurant. Finding a booth table, usually for four, Fox took a seat and moved into the corner.

What he _didn't_ expect, was that the lupine chose to sat next to him instead of the other side. He started to feel cornered, trapped. But he wasn't scared; quite the opposite. The presence of the other stirred the feeling of excitement once again.

"I'm surprised you didn't choose to sit at the other side." Fox stated, trying — and failing— to hide his elation.

"It's easier to talk to you like this, isn't it?" Wolf gave him a confused look, unaware of his breaching of personal space, and the subsequent reaction from Fox.

"I-I suppose." At least now he wouldn't have to be constantly looking at the lupine as he ate. Not that it would be a _bad_ thing, he was quite an attractive perso-

 _'Nope!'_

"What you thinking of getting?" Fox asked as a method of stopping himself.

"I dunno, I haven't eaten at places like this before. You?"

"I'm probably going to just get a cheeseburger and chips."

"Okay, sounds good. I'll get that too."

Fox began to stand up. "Right, I'll go or-"

"No no no, I'll do it. You're the one who invited me out, I feel like I should at least pay."

"But-"

"No buts! I'm going, you just stay here and look pretty, okay?" _'Pretty?!'_

"Fine." Fox sat back down, placing a hand against his beating heart as the other left to order. "Phew..." He let out quietly, partly glad for this moment of peace. _'He didn't mean it like that, Fox. It's a figure of speech, he wasn't_ actually _calling me pretty.'_

 _'Idiot.'_

Why wouldn't his tail just _stop wagging already!_

Wolf returned a minute or two later after Fox had calmed down, except this caused it to start back up again. "They said they'll bring it to our table in a few."

Back to square one. Excitement turned nervous, he had no idea what to say. _'I shouldn't be thinking like this.'_ Wolf, on the other hand, looked calm. Strangely calm, considered what had transpired between the two earlier.

Suddenly aware of another's presence, he realised the food had _finally_ arrived. Busying himself with that meant he was thinking about Wolf less. The sooner he was out of this awkward situation, the better. _Was_ it better?

Finishing his food, he looked to the other to notice he had also, taking a sip from his drink. Fox's mind started to wander. _"I haven't eaten at places like this before."_ What stuff _has_ he done? Ice-cream was out too, as it looked like he had no idea what he was doing. How long has he lived in Corneria? In fact, _where_ was he living? Fox doubted he had his own home, given the circumstances.

"Hey, Wolf."

"Hm?"

"Just wondering, where are you living?" The question was less stupid in his head.

"At my old home... Sister owns it now, living with her boyfriend. I swear, that guy's the worst."

"Oh, how so?" The thought intrigued Fox. Who could possibly be _the worst_ to him?

"Guys an egotist. Can't _stand_ being around him. Thinks he's hot shit just because he's older than me. Annoying douche, I hate the thought of just having to be in the same place as him, never mind _living_ in the same house as him."

That sounded promising. Maybe Fox could ask if he wanted to live with him?

 _'Grr! I'm not saying that!'_

"Why don't you move out then? Get your own place, you'd be far away from him."

"I would but I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Like, bills? Taxes? I've never done that stuff before, makes running a base seem _easy._ As much as I hate him, I gotta stay."

"You could always move in with me..." The offer slipped out of his mouth. _'I thought I said I WASN'T GOING TO SAY THAT!'_

"You... You being serious?" Well, he couldn't say no _now,_ could he?

"Sure. You're on the team and all, so it might be beneficial to be together." He threw up any excuse he could think of to make it more believable. That, and he wouldn't be so _lonely_.

"100 percent? Serious?" Wolf asked, his tail wagging behind him.

"Yeah?" Wolf enveloped him in a quick hug, tail still swishing behind him. Experiencing the warmth of Wolf once again, except this time it seemed to affect him all the more. Maybe he could hug back?

 _'I shouldn't.'_

After their brief embrace, he moved back into his previous sitting position, facing the vulpine. God, Fox needed some fresh air. "Want to get going?"

"Okay!"

* * *

Fox had never invited people over to his house before. It was slightly messier than he would have liked, giving him the feeling that the house wasn't presentable. Wolf didn't care however, _anywhere_ was better than his place.

The sun had started to set outside, casting an orange glow on the barren walls of the house. Wolf proceeded to sit down on the couch in front of the TV, sighing and relaxing deeper into it's grasp. Fox turned the light on, which the other neglected to do, and just stood looking at the other. _'What now?'_

"Wanna watch a film?" It was still too early to go to bed, but not late enough to go do anything else. It seemed like the perfect option. Fox moved to sit next to Wolf, switching the screen on. He flicked through the channels for a while, until managing to find some action-y sort of movie. Wolf didn't seem too against watching it, so they settled for it.

Around an hour later, the film finished. Inspecting his surroundings, he noticed Wolf had fallen asleep midway through. _'He looks so cute.'_ Given it was meant to be some blockbuster thriller type show, it didn't really do it's job in keeping him interested it seemed. It was getting quite late now, maybe they shou-

 _'Cute?!'_ The sudden revelation hit him. It _almost_ slipped away from him, the voice disagreeing with his thoughts slowly diminishing as they day went on. _"you seem to like Wolf."_

 _'Do I?'_ Signs pointed to yes. The continuous barrage of thoughts surrounding the lupine supported this theory. His feeling of happiness when the lupine hugged him, or even just when he sat near him. The strange bubbling sensation deep inside him whenever something happened between the two, the constant blush which followed.

 _'Is this love?'_ He'd never really experienced it before. No one affected him quite like the lupine was, and this _could_ be the solution...

 _'Surely not. It could just be me being nervous, right?'_ Except then, how could he explain wanting to know more about Wolf's past, and the incessant tail wagging? He was happy at the time, and he can't deny that; there's no way he could be nervous.

His thoughts proved troublesome, so he settled on waking the lupine up as an effort to preoccupy them. Wolf stirred, stretching his arms and yawning. "What time is it?"

"Bed time, I suppose. Tired?"

"Yeah, walking around all day, still not fully recovered."

"Right, you can take my room, if you want. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Wh-what? I couldn't possibly take your room from you, I'm the guest. I'll take the couch."

"Exactly, _you're_ the guest, which is why I'm giving you my room, 'kay?"

"Why don't _both_ of us sleep there then? That's if your bed's big enough."

 _'Huh?'_

"I mean, it's big enough... But don't you want space?" Sleeping with him again? This wouldn't become a normal thing, would it?

"Eh, I don't mind sharing." Wolf allowed a fangy grin to show, enticing the vulpine to take him up on his offer. It _would_ beat sleeping out here...

"Okay okay, fine." Fox got up, making his way to the bedroom.

"Hey, wait up!" Wolf called out, rushing off to his side. The bedroom was rather large, with many different pieces of memorabilia scattered around. Picture frames depicting a family of three, obvious of who they were. Since his parents had 'gone', Fox had started to make the room his own. His old bedroom was far too small for him to sleep in now, and so was the bed. Thinking back, repurposing the place as a guest room didn't seem that bad of an idea now.

Fox stood by the light as Wolf was by the side of the bed. When Fox turned around, he noticed Wolf had removed all of his clothes, remaining only in his boxers. "W-WOLF?!" Fox exclaimed, instantly moving his hands to cover his eyes. "W-what are you doing?!"

"Huh? I normally sleep in my boxers..." He grinned again, a sliver of fang poking out and his eyes alight with mischief. Quickly moving under the covers, he called out to Fox. "Ready whenever." Fox flicked the light switch and moved towards the bed.

 _'I mean, so do I but...'_ Fox contemplated for a moment, until finally deciding if Wolf was going to do it he was. There was nothing to feel embarrassed about... Stripping down, he also moved under the covers. "Night, Fox." Wolf yawned, facing away from Fox.

Sleep was easier said than done. Fox lay on his back facing the ceiling, unsure of his feelings. Being in the same bed as Wolf, now armed with the knowledge that he may or may not have a thing for him made it much harder. Time seemed to flow in a way for the vulpine, as an unknown time had passed.

Turning to his side, he faced the same direction as Wolf. Looking at his back, it was almost as if his fur was calling out to be cuddled with. _'That's not that bad, right?'_ He'd done it before, so what was wrong with doing it now? Before he could dwell on it for long, he extended his hand and rested it gently on the side of his arm.

What he wasn't expecting, was for Wolf to turn around to face him. _'He's still awake!'_ The same look of mischief written over his face, he smiled at the other. "Didn't take you for one to cuddle, Fox."

"I-uh..." He stammered out.

"It's fine. You'll be like a fluffy pillow! I can't say no to that." To emphasize this, he moved closer until his arm wrapped around Fox.

 _'I didn't think this far.'_ Unsure of what to do, Fox too wrapped his arm around and embraced the lupine for the third time today. Actually, isn't this how he woke up in the first place?

Fox began to feel lethargic, calmed in the arms of the other. His thoughts no longer ran rampant, causing him to question himself. It couldn't have been clearer to the vulpine now, there was at least _something_ he felt for the lupine; which was the last thought he had before he fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 _'What have I done?! I'm an idiot!'_

Wolf had awoken the day after, clearly later than the vulpine as his arms still remained wrapped around. He _knew_ all of this was his fault. Should have just taken the offer to take the bed on his own, then he wouldn't be in this mess.

But he _really_ didn't want to escape, for fear of waking the vulpine up. _That_ would be awkward, even more so than it was now. At least he could feign that he didn't have much control over what he was doing, that it was all the treatment, and that he didn't remember this ever happening.

And then there was the park 'incident'. He intended to tell the vulpine about it, but never to go all out like that. Composure meant everything Wolf, and letting Fox know that this was something that bothered him was not good. Thankfully he probably wouldn't have to delve much deeper any more.

A gentle sigh emanated from Fox, alerting Wolf he was awake. "Oh, Wolf..." he gently whispered to himself.

 _'Don't react... Stay still.'_

"What am I supposed to do with you? I've really found myself stuck here."

 _'Maybe I should speak up before he says something I wasn't meant to hear.'_

"I've... I've decided. I know it's sudden, but I can't help it. I think, I might be falling in love with you..." Fox needed to get it off his chest, or else it would eat at him longer. Saying his thoughts out loud to someone made him feel better about it, and since Wolf was asleep it made it better. At least, he _thought_ he was asleep.

 _'What?!'_

"I thought about this a long time, and recently every time I'm near you I feel happy. I want to make you happy, too. To see your smile. I never want to see you sad again. I want to know more about you, to be there for you in your sadness. I don't know why, I can't explain it myself, which is why I think it might be love. You'll never feel this way back, but in a way that's a good thing..."

 _'Oh, oh no. I should have said something.'_

"If you felt this way back, I don't know if I could decline; I don't want to be a hypocrite. Relationships don't usually work well for mercenaries. It's the same reason I've been avoiding this happening with Krystal. But you somehow managed to bypass that."

Fox allowed himself to chuckle gently to himself. "I could never actually say this to you if you were awake. This will probably be the only time I say this at all, but I just had to. And..." Fox stopped, pondering about something for a moment. This might be the only chance he has... Should he take it?

He gently moved closer to place a kiss against the sleeping lupine's lips. It felt so wrong, to do this to someone sleeping, yet so right at the same time; better than he could have ever imagined. If there were any doubt in his mind saying he didn't like Wolf, it was obliterated that moment. This is what he wanted, even though he knew he shouldn't — he _couldn't_ have it. He removed himself from the others lips, looking at his sleeping form.

"I... I love you, Wolf. And I'm sorry for that." He lay still for a moment, until finally deciding to get up and migrate downstairs. Wolf shot up from the bed, eyes wide open. He ran a shaky hand through his head fur; never in a million years would he have expected _that_. Bringing his other hand up he rested it against his lips. His first kiss...

" _Shit!_ "

* * *

 **End note:**

And Fox finally decides on how he feels. Next chapter(s?) will be more Wolf-centric on how he handles this. Katt's side-story will be expanded on too slowly alongside Krystals until they all culminate.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, it's quite a bit longer than the others. I would've cut it off, but I feel if this was shorter then the ending would have been less impactful, idk? See you next update!


	11. Chapter 11: Resolution

**Authors note:**

Late...

* * *

Chapter 11: Resolution

...

Uh... What the _hell_ was that? That had to be an accident, right? It _had_ to be a mistake, right? There was no way that Fox...

 _'Think, Wolf. Think!'_ Racking his brain for answers he just couldn't find. Recap!

Fox said he loved him. _Love_? Surely not. What is there he could have seen to love? Had all this been caused over the time span of yesterday, or culminating over a long time? _"I thought about this a long time,"_ Long time... Had he been missing the signals all along? Further.

Distinctly remembering it was Fox who started the embrace, his hand laying gently against his side suggestively. Was that part of his plan? Undressing was another mistake of his to add to the roster. _'Fox tried to hide his face from me.'_ There was an obvious tinge on the vulpine's face at the time, a stammer in his voice. _'He was blushing. Was he shy?'_ Apparently not shy enough to stop _him_ from undressing. That in itself was an obvious sign that Fox was fine with it, that he liked Wolf.

The vulpine was fine with sharing the bed, too. In the right frame of mind, Wolf wouldn't; yet instead he was the one who _offered_. But it was Fox who offered for him to stay over in the first place...

It made him feel happy at the time. Not only did he not have to live with that insufferable prick any longer, he also had somewhere to go where they _wanted_ him to be with them; his sister only agreed to let him stay with him out of some sense of obligation, that slight bit of pack mentality lingering in her genes. Was it a mistake to come here?

 _'No. Just because he likes me doesn't mean I should start thinking like this.'_

It was the better choice for the lupine. Not having a good method of getting contacted by the team should there be an emergency, Fox was quite useful in that regard. Plus, he started enjoying the company of the vulpine somewhat. _Somewhat_... He was basing this off a day where he was drugged up and the _one_ time they went out as a trio.

Except being drugged up only amplified his true feelings, didn't it? Never in his life had he been so open before. Fox had helped him experience new things; activities — which may or may not have been a date to the other, foods, emotions. Not that _he_ loved Fox. He didn't even know what _love_ was. An emotion he'd been devoid of his entire life. Why? He'd tried many different things in his past, all of which ended up in hate. Hated by all. All, but one. Of all people, it _had_ to be Fox, didn't it? His ex-rival turned teammate — turned lover?

He had to consider his options here; ignore the vulpine's feelings for him and never allow anything to come from it, or give him a chance? Perhaps he could reciprocate these feelings? Throwing it all away right now seemed stupid. He'd never know what he was missing, yet he didn't really know what he'd be _giving_ either. Maybe he could observe Fox, study him. Study _love_. He'd get a _chance_ for a chance.

Is it a fleeting emotion? How fickle was it? He'd nearly killed Fox in the past, yet he was still the only one who would tip his hand to say he felt that way. Could it be that it was strong enough that it could look past that? It didn't seem plausible... How should he be feeling, how was Fox feeling?

 _'Damn it Wolf. Think!'_ Further. Dinner.

Fox's tail was wagging the entire time. His breathing slightly laboured, the way he tensed up during their hug. Shouldn't have done that in retrospect. It was clear he was nervous, was it due to inexperience? And then the red hue consistently revealing itself at any and every opportunity.

 _'Wait, how do I even know that happened? For all I know it could've been a dream.'_ This sudden revelation gave him an idea of what his plan of action would be for now; prove that was real, and prove Fox's resolve. Just as he had decided on doing so, the door to the room opened, Fox peering in.

"Oh, you're awake. You feeling any better?"

Some parts still hurt when he moved, the deeper cuts which need more time. "Yeah, fine."

Fox exhaled audibly. _'Looks like the drug's wearing off.'_ he thought with mild disappointment, but shook it off. "That's good." Fox stood awkwardly in the room, staring at the lupine. "Right! I was gonna get a shower." Making his way to a door Wolf somehow hadn't noticed, he walked inside and the sound of a stream of water was all that could be heard.

 _'Guess I'll hop in after.'_ He lied back down, head resting against both hands cupped behind, staring at the ceiling. He had to admit, the bed was much comfier than his own, and the room was much better treat too. Though, the distinct scent of the other male filled the room, which was slightly jarring.

After some time, the sound stopped. More time, and the shower room door opened, admitting the vulpine. Wolf moved his head down to look, only to wish he hadn't; Fox stood there completely naked.

"Uh, I'm still here, ya'know." Wolf broke the silence, Fox instantly moving to cover himself.

"Sh-shit! Cover your eyes!" Wolf moved to look back at the roof. "I-I forgot you were here!" he exclaimed, giving a poor excuse.

"How do you _forget_ I'm here? You talked to me just before you went in, too."

"I have a lot on my mind, okay?" _'I'll bet.'_ Wolf thought cynically. _"_ J-just don't look until I'm gone, okay?"

"Didn't intend on it." Wolf stated, which left Fox slightly disappointed once more. Proceeding to dress himself as fast he could, he rushed out of the room meaning Wolf was safe again. How does someone do that _on accident?_ For all I know, that could have been on purpose.

But Fox wouldn't do that, he wasn't the plotting type. Wait, how does he know what type of person Fox is? He shouldn't be trusting him completely. Wolf arose from the bed and made his way to the shower room, noting that there was still a clean, unused towel left.

Meh, it wasn't _that_ big of a deal.

Removing his boxers, he proceeded to wash thoroughly, noticing the fancy brands Fox had at his disposal. Of _course_ Mr. rich boy would be able to afford all this stuff, he thought; on second hand, that was quite a rude thing to think. There's no point in being bitter about any of this, especially about the only person who's cared about him in a long time. He then went on to use said products, wincing when his cuts stung due to the shampoo.

One long wash later, he exited the booth with his sopping wet fur, quickly grabbing the towel on the rack to dry himself. Once he decided it was good enough — there's no way he's getting _completely_ dry with just a towel — he left the room with the towel wrapped around his waist.

 _'I don't have any clean clothes...'_ Realising this, he went downstairs in search of Fox. "Hey Fo-"

 _ **CRASH!**_

Huh? The sight of the vulpine in front of him, holding his hands out in an almost comical manner while his feet are surrounded by china made it obvious what the source of the noise was; that, and the blush. _'It's not like you haven't seen me semi-naked before...'_ He thought with a frown, moving closer to the vulpine. "Wh-why aren't you dressed?" Lowering himself, Fox began to try gather the larger pieces of the plate with his hand.

"I don't have any clean clothes?" He stated as if it was obvious. Well, it _was_ obvious, he'd only just 'moved in' yesterday.

"Oh yeah. In th-" Raising his head to look up at Wolf, he got a slight glance underneath the towel. "G-b... Use some of mine." He stuttered out between coughs, eliciting another sideways frown from the lupine. _'How long is this gonna last?'_

Returning to the bedroom, Wolf began to rummage around the looking for something to wear. A gun in his bedside drawer stood out to him, but nothing else was there other than some pictures; he closed the drawer deciding that he shouldn't be nosey. After a short look, he found where his boxers and socks were kept.

Looking at the clothes, they clearly weren't going to fit him, so he tried to chose the largest and baggiest things he could find. Once he was presentable, he returned to the kitchen to be greeted with the smell of... Something.

"What you making?" Asked Wolf, disrupting Fox's concentration.

"Breakfast. You good with bacon and eggs?" He even _eats_ like a rich boy. Or maybe this was normal? He had no clue.

"Sure."

"Great! It'll be done in a few, take a seat while you wait." He nodded his head over to the dining table as an indication. "If you want..." he added, not wanting to seem rude. Wolf took his seat and noticed the TV in the other room was turned on.

" _...Mysterious disappearances of... -rneria and other... increased pirate activity around..."_ It was too quiet to listen to, especially against the sizzling of the eggs, so he decided to ignore it; if it was important Fox would have it turned up louder.

"That doesn't sound too good..." Fox murmured to himself, gaining the lupines attention.

"Hm? I take it that's not normal?"

"No, the last time people started going missing was before the Lylat wars. Though, last time there weren't many pirates."

"Hm, I'm sure it's nothing too serious. People get lost all the time."

"But not _missing_ , Wolf. I can't help but feel this has something to do with Star Wolf." A scowl formed on Wolf's face, sick of them being referred to by his name. "Sorry, I know; it's just that we don't know their team name, and it's an easier way to say it."

"Yeah, but can you not? It's just so..." He looked down with a growl. _That's_ his legacy; he can try leave the past in the past all he wants but it'll always rear it's head back at him to tell him he _is_ a pirate. Trying to change it did nothing either. After joining Star Fox, he was hoping maybe he'd get at least _some_ recognition, yet the only people who trusted him, who acknowledged him, were Fox and Krystal — even though she has been standoffish lately. Maybe it was just Fox... Maybe Wolf was doomed to this treatment for life.

The clanging of a plate landing in front of him cut him out of his internal rant. It looked pretty good, better than anything _he_ could cook. "Sorry, I won't any more." He smiled in earnest, taking his seat at the opposite side of the table. "From now on I'll make sure to call them... Star..."

"Psychopaths?" He let out bitterly, earning a slight chuckle from Fox.

"As tempting as that sounds, I was thinking of going for something a little less... Mouthfull-y?"

"Pirates?" He offered, reminding himself that he _was_ part of that team. Fits it well.

"Sure, I guess." The two began to eat in silence, both unsure about what to say to each other. The clothes Wolf were in constricted him all the more as he sat down, uncomfortably shuffling trying to give himself space.

Fox finished his first, moving to the sink to wash up the plate; he'd have to start taking better care for the house if he had someone else here now. Sitting back at the table, he at the wall behind the lupine in thought, as if he was struggling with something. Finally finishing his food, Wolf made a move to get up, only to be stopped by Fox's hand. "Don't worry, I'll do it." He offered, taking the plate.

Wolf stared at the piece of fluff wagging happily behind the vulpine, sometimes picking up in a fervent pace while also sometimes spontaneously stopping, his ears pinning back slightly. _'Is he ok?'_

"Fox?"

"Huh?" And it started up once again.

"Nothing..." _'Am I causing that?'_ Thinking back, he still hadn't done his litmus test yet, and now he had his plan. Moving to stand beside the vulpine, he looked at him at a sideways glance.

"Oh yeah, we should probably get you some clothes." Fox stated, noting the less than comfortable clothes he was confined in.

"You can just take me home, I'll bring some from there."

"No no, it's fine. I'll pay for it too, my treat." He turned to face him, beaming. _'He's being too nice to me.'_ Wolf also turned, now face to face with Fox. Wolf bit his lip in consideration, wondering if he should actually go through with it.

 _'Fuck it.'_

Wolf started to close the distance between them slowly, Fox's eyes opening drastically. The vulpine's mouth opened slightly, startled breaths landed against the others muzzle. "W-Wolf?" Just before they touched, Wolf swayed back and away, his legs giving way slightly. "W-wh-what were you..."

Blinking a few times, he straightened his posture up and turned away from Fox. "Sorry, just got a bit light headed there." he feigned, holding a hand up to his head as the beet red fox beside him stood in shock, lip trembling slightly. _'Bingo.'_ His tail was also a dead giveaway, swishing violently as he tried to sneakily move his hands to stop it.

"A-are you ok? Do you need to lie down?" Concern filled Fox's eyes, despite the anticipation and excitement which was pouring out of him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

...

"Say, you wanna head out now?" Wolf asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure, let me just grab my things."

 _'That was a bit harsh of me...'_

* * *

"It's good to see you're better, I'll come see you later, okay?" Krystal said with a smile as she stood up getting ready to leave.

"Sure thing, Krys. Thanks for coming." He waved her off, leaving the two of them alone again. Katt looked slightly excited to now be alone with him, as he internally groaned. Where to start...

The best thing to do was start from the beginning, right? "So, catch me up kitty. What have I missed?"

"Not much, really" She stated with a hint of spite.

"Doesn't sound like it."

"I don't know what you could possibly mean."

"You not gonna tell me about Wolf?" He inquired, a scowl forming on her visage.

"Who'd ever want to know about that thieving, backstabbing murderer?" _'Backstabbing? Is she just making things up now?'_

"I doubt he's as bad as you're making him out to be." Falco scolded.

" _What?! You_ of ALL people should know; they're all the same. Every single one of them." Still stuck up on the past. This was going to prove troublesome.

"I _do_ know, Katt. People never change, at heart they're all the same. But do you _actually_ know what that 'same' is? How can you say that at heart Wolf wasn't good, had some rough times, and ended up as he is today?"

"And how do _you_ know he's not a monster? You're doing an awful lot of preaching without any evidence here." She huffed aggressively, now accusing Falco too. "Remember the Lylat wars? That bastard who fought against us? Who killed our friends? Who was it who killed our family? Rogue Venomians? _Bullshit!_ It was _Andross'_ command, everyone knows it. Wolf fought for that madman, he's _just as guilty as them!_ "

"Now you're just saying irrelevant things. Wolf had nothing to do with that and _you_ know it. At the end of the day, we're mercenaries."

"He's a pirate!" She interrupted pointedly, enforcing this.

" _We're_ mercenaries. We've killed just as many as he has, perhaps even more. He was paid to fight for the other side, just like we were paid by Corneria. I hold no grudge against him for fighting us, nor should you. If anything, Fox should be the one pissed at him, not you."

"Oh yeah, and instead of that he's all _lovey-dovey_ with his precious little Wolf that he's turned against me too." She seethed, clenching her fists. "I thought... If someone could understand me... It would be you." She let out quietly, her rage dissolving into sorrow.

"Look, Katt. I do understand you, trust me. But it's _because_ I understand you that I know what you're saying is wrong. Fox told me earlier, he's sorry for arguing with you so much recently. Can't you two make up?"

"Not while he's siding with Wolf." Her stubbornness showing once again. "He likes him more than me, and I've known him for far longer. Probably more than everyone else too, with how he's been acting recently. Stuck to him completely."

"Who Fox likes is who Fox likes, I have no problem with that. Fox trusts him, so I'll trust him. If he's on our side, I can trust him. During the invasion, he was different too. He had our backs, and he explicitly saved Fox. But you know, he doesn't hate you. The poor sod doesn't have the ability to hate someone." _'Too kind for his own good.'_

"Which is why Wolf might be using him! Think about it, why _else_ would they be friends?"

"He's kind, but not stupid either. There's a reason he got top grades in the academy. Smart, talented, everything. He's a natural." He let out some internal jealousy which had formed from his years with the vulpine. Why _wouldn't_ he be jealous? "Fox wouldn't get manipulated easily, he'd see straight through it." Mulling over her words, a grin formed on his face. "Glad to see you're only looking out for him, though."

"Huh?"

"You're arguing with him because you don't want him to get caught up in something bad, aren't you? You don't want him friends with Wolf because of how he is."

"Whatever..." She said, feigning ignorance. He was spot on, not that she would ever admit it. How _could_ she be angry at Fox?

"But let me tell you something. Fox is grown up, too. He won't need you looking out for him all the time, 'kay? It seems like he's found something in Wolf, something that he likes, and that's the reason he sides with him. Maybe you'll find it too, some day?"

"Yeah, _right_. They're all the same, I'll prove it." She said, determined in her resolve.

"So can you please make up with Fox already? I'm not forcing you to be friends with Wolf, but can you at least be civil with him?" He pleaded.

"I don't see why I should."

"Arguing isn't good for a team, and you know that." Memories of their old team flooded through her, reminding her of their failure. One petty argument leading to the deaths of two of their team, leading the rest to disband. "You've said it already, Fox will side with Wolf. Why be against him? If you're on Fox's side, don't fight with him. God knows how sick I'll get of that." He added jokingly, trying to ease the tension. "And if they do end up being a couple, that's Fox's choice, and I'll support whatever choice he makes."

"Hah, like that'll happen though. I can't see him liking Wolf _that_ much, besides he already has Krystal." She giggled, taking that statement as a joke.

"Yeah, you're right. But ya' get what I'm saying?"

"Fine, if it's for you, then I'll stop..." She said, looking at the floor. That was a start. Silence ensued from the resolution to their conversation, and Katt sat in thought. _'They're all the same.'_

...

"You know... I missed you..." She let out meekly, disturbing their moment. "I... You're the first person I've ever trusted. You're like family to me; as sad as that sounds." This again. He knew what was coming, and had formulated his answer long ago. "I've been wondering if... You'd like to give me another chance?"

"Katt, we've been through this. We don't work out as a couple." _'I can't let my freedom go, not for anything.'_ His harsh words cut through her, yet she showed no signs of weakness. She nodded slowly, realising talking about it any more is futile and would only result in hurting her more.

"I-I think I should go. I'll come visit tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds good. Remember what we talked about." She nodded once again, and then made her way out of the room. Letting out a large sigh, he flopped back into his bed and stared at the ceiling. _'Wolf, huh? Who would've guessed.'_

" _I can't see him liking Wolf_ that _much." - "Yeah, you're right."_

He let out a smirk. _'I wouldn't be so sure, kitty.'_ He'd never seen Fox so confused about someone in his life, so confused in himself. It would be rather amusing, if it weren't for the resulting outcome, or the struggle on the way. Of all people, Wolf. He'd trust him if Fox did, but if anything were to go _that_ far he can't just trust Fox. Katt was going for her proof, and Falco decided to go for his. Proof that Wolf is a good person, good enough for Fox.

"Maaan" he let out quietly as he rolled onto his side, facing out of the window. God only knows how he's feeling right now, what he's struggling with. Falling for the person who's been known for being the cause of his fathers death for years; how cruel fate can be.

That, and how would Krystal react knowing this? It was obvious she wanted Fox, ever since she saw him. Finding himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, what would he choose? He wouldn't want to upset anyone, but this was a road with no good outcome...

 _'Good luck, Foxy, you'll need it.'_

* * *

 **End note:**

Finally... Just wondering, I was thinking of adding Katt/Falco's backstory as a one-shot but I wondered if anyone would actually be bothered or if I should just try slowly implement it into this. Let me know if you'd actually be bothered about it, because if not I'll just write it into here.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
